


Text Me

by strawberrylovely



Category: Shance - Fandom, Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Amputation, Angst, Awkward Flirting, Coming Out, Fake/Pretend Relationship, First Kiss, First Meetings, Flirting, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Happy Ending, Hospitalization, Love Confessions, M/M, Making Out, Meeting the Parents, Military Backstory, PTSD, Past Sexual Assault, Sex Jokes, Shiro the Hero, Strangers to Lovers, Texting, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, alcohol mention, demisexual shiro, implied assault, shance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-21
Updated: 2017-07-05
Packaged: 2018-11-16 20:47:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 26,775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11260701
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/strawberrylovely/pseuds/strawberrylovely
Summary: Shiro, trying to get away from two girls who won't stop flirting with him, sits down next to a stranger who he pretends is his boyfriend. The stranger, who has pretty blue eyes, goes along with it.





	1. Text Me

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know why I love fake relationships so much, but I'm not gonna stop writing them lol

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My lovely friend Cass drew the opening scene and it's posted (with her permission) here: http://strawberrylovely.tumblr.com/post/163725207855/listen-ladies-my-darling-friend  
> please check it and her out! <3

"Listen ladies...I really am flattered, but I'm....taken." Shiro lied, trying to get away from the two girls forcibly flirting with him at the mall. They seemed nice enough, but the fact that they had kept harassing him after he'd already said no more than a few times proved that he wanted nothing to do with them. Plus the fact that he wasn't interested in girls.

No matter what he said, they seemed to come up with some way to debunk what he told them. That is, until he saw a guy, probably his age, sitting by himself at one of those mini cafes. He thought up a plan and seriously hoped that the guy would go along with it.

"Hey sweetheart," Shiro said, sitting down across from the man. Now that he was closer, he could see that the stranger was actually really handsome, messy brown hair, tan skin that looked soft to the touch, and the prettiest blue eyes he’s ever seen. It took Shiro by surprise. Just like him sitting down had taken the brunet - who had earphones in and therefore didn't hear Shiro (of course that would happen) - by surprise.

The brunet jumped slightly, not expecting to have company. He pulled out his earbuds, looking between Shiro and the two girls standing next to the table.

"What's going on...?" he said slowly, obviously trying to understand the situation.

"Hey sweetie," Shiro tried again, his eyes pleading the stranger to go along with it. Thankfully, he did.

"Hi babe," the brunet smiled, as understanding clicked in his brain.

" _This_ is your boyfriend?" one of the girls asked in disbelief.

"Yeah," Shiro smiled.

"Hey gals, the name's Lance," the stranger said.

 _Lance..._ Shiro thought to himself.

"I didn't expect to see you! What are you doing here?" Shiro said, keeping up the charade.

"Oh, I was....buying you something." The man, Lance, pulled out a shirt from his shopping bag, definitely way too small for Shiro's strong build.

"That's obviously not even his size," the other girl said.

Shiro was sure the jig was up, until the stranger named Lance said something that Shiro wouldn't have expected.

"What? I can't buy my boyfriend a shirt that would make his huge muscles bulge out underneath for my own personal enjoyment? I don't come into _your_ house and tell you how to live _your_ life."

"We're not in a house," the girl sounded confused.

"Bup-bup-bup, I don't care. Now please, if you wouldn't mind, I'd like to spend some quality time alone with my _boyfriend_." Lance winked at Shiro as he emphasized the last word.

Shiro was speechless. And also blushing.

"Ugh whatever." The girls scoffed and walked away, finally leaving the two boys alone.

"Thank you so much," Shiro said once they were out of earshot.

"No problem, dude."

Shiro started to get up.

"Well, I should probably-"

"Wait," Lance said, grabbing Shiro's forearm. "I know girls like them, and they will be waiting around watching us to make sure that we weren't just faking it. If you leave right now, they'll just come right back to bother you."

Shiro looked around and sure enough, the girls were waiting around the corner outside of a sports shop, glancing in their direction.

"Oh. Wow."

"Yeah," Lance said, rolling his eyes at the girls. "So, I have a question," Lance said after a moment. "Am I obviously that gay or did you just hope for the best?"

Shiro was slightly taken aback, but then he laughed at the starkness of the question.

"Uh, no, no. I just prayed you'd at least go with it. For a second, I thought you might start flirting with the girls instead and I almost died of embarrassment."

"What? When there's an absolute angel who's built like the guy in my gym fantasy sitting across from me? I don't think so."

Shiro blushed again.

"Sorry that was probably a bit..."

"Bold?"

"Yeah, that."

"It's fine. But now _I_ have to ask. Am I?"

"Are you what? The buff angel of my dreams? Yes."

"No," Shiro laughed. "Am I obviously that gay?"

"Little bit."

Shiro scoffed in fake offense.

"Oh come on, dude. You're wearing that shirt."

"What's wrong with my shirt?" Shiro looked down. He thought the shirt looked good on him.

"Nothing. It's just the shirt that every gay guy owns."

"What? I just bought it because I like it."

"Well, of course you do. You're gay right?"

"Well, yeah but-"

"There you go."

"Okay fine. Do you own this shirt then?"

"Nope."

"Aha-!"

"But I'm bi."

"Oh."

"Listen, it's not a bad shirt. It's just...it's the gay shirt." Lance held his hands up in a shrug as if he wasn't sure whether to be sorry for his comment or for Shiro's misfortune of being a stereotype.

"Are you sure you're not just upset that it's not tighter and making my 'muscles bulge out underneath?'" Shiro raised a flirtatious eyebrow.

Lance's face flushed at Shiro quoting him.

"I'm sorry about that. Sometimes I just say things without really thinking."

"Don't worry about it," Shiro laughed.

He was amazed at how well he was getting along with this stranger. Normally, Shiro was pretty shy with new people, but Lance seemed to bring him out of his shell.

"But to answer the question, yeah I am a little upset it's not tighter.”

…And also he made Shiro want to crawl back inside his shell from sheer nervous attraction. He hadn’t had a cute guy flirt with him in a long time. It was nice, but it also made his heart feel like it would beat out of his chest. He saw Lance look him up and down. And if Lance had bit his lip, Shiro decided to ignore it.

“Sorry to disappoint,” he managed to flirt back, despite his voice nearly cracking. 

"So...” Lance said after a moment, thankfully changing the subject. “Does this sort of thing happen to you often?” Lance asked, making a circular gesture with his finger.

"Well, minus the whole 'sitting with a random stranger and making them pretend to be my boyfriend' part. But the girls? Yeah. I can barely ever go to the mall without some girl coming up to me and asking for my number.”

Lance gave him a look.

“That probably sounds super douche-y,” Shiro said, hoping he wasn’t sounding like he was bragging, “but considering I’m not interested in girls…it gets kind of annoying.“

"Well, I know I’m not a girl, but can _I_ ask for your number?"

Shiro's eyes widened in surprise and a small smile creeped up his face.

"Ah! Sorry, like I said - not thinking!"

Shiro noticed that the girls that had been basically stalking him were long gone by now, obviously bored realizing they weren't getting anywhere with him. He saw his chance to leave (not that he wanted to, but it was getting late) and figured what better way could there be to make an exit? He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pen, scrawling his number out on Lance's napkin. He slid the napkin back over and winked at the brunette.

"I'll see you around, Lance."

He got up and walked away, trying to keep it cool even though he was mentally screaming inside.

 

"Wait!" Lance yelled after the beautiful stranger, whose name he didn't even know. "You never told me your-"

He glanced down at the napkin and finally saw what was written.

_XXX-XXX-XXXX_  
-Shiro  
Text me ;) 

"Shiro," Lance whispered to himself. “I will.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! So, originally I wrote this as a one shot, but I'd LOVE to write a full story of it...I just have no plot ideas lol. If you want me to continue, maybe give me an idea of a storyline and I'll keep going with it! Thanks for reading!
> 
> shirt every gay boy has:  
> https://mobile.twitter.com/abedelrey/status/661206572358623232


	2. Save Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The second time Lance and Shiro meet! This chapter is actually based on something that user Anira8884 said to me, "maybe the same thing [as the first chapter] happens but the opposite like lance is being hit on by some real sketchy dude and he sees shiro and just hopes that he will play along to help him." Once I read that, inspiration struck and I knew what the next chapter was gonna be. So, here it is!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Speaking of sending me ideas, this is probably going to be the most interactive fic you've ever read, but I literally have no plan, no idea currently how I want this fic to play out. So if you want to give me a storyline or plot point that you think I should write, PLEASE tell me! I might end up writing it!! That might seem like too much work for you as a reader, but I really wanna write this, and if I know what people want to read, the better I can make this!! No idea is a bad idea!! Thank you and please enjoy!

A week passed and Shiro still hadn’t heard from Lance. It was fine, not a big deal, he could easily find someone else somewhere else…but he really liked Lance. He knew he should have gotten Lance’s number as well so he could make the first move, but he thought the guy would actually text him. Maybe Lance wasn’t actually into him as much as he’d thought. Shiro couldn’t believe how hung up on some guy he’d talked to for maybe half an hour he was. He figured it had to be just the lack of human interaction he’d been having. He hadn't been getting out much anymore. But that was ending tonight. He was going to a gay bar for the first time and he was going to enjoy himself. He was nervous and excited, and definitely not thinking about the possibility of running into Lance there.

 

\--

 

Lance looked at the contact in his phone for about the 100th time that week. He really wanted to text Shiro, but he just didn’t know what to say. How on Earth would a guy like _that_ be interested in _him_? Some of his friends had asked him to hang out at some bar tonight, and Lance really wanted to invite Shiro, but he doubted Shiro was the type of guy to ever go to a bar. Lance sighed and pocketed his phone. He might as well try to get his mind off of some stranger he’d barely met who probably wasn’t even interested in him, and going to a bar and getting drunk off his ass would definitely help. He hoped.

 

When he got to the bar, he saw his friends already sitting at a table. They ordered drinks and started talking about what was going on in their lives. Lance found himself relaxing already and he wasn’t even thinking about Shiro… Damn it. Why didn’t he invite Shiro? He may not know much about the buff angel, but Lance knew his friends would get along with him. Lance tried to push his thoughts away, focusing on his friend Hunk’s story about his latest cooking disaster.

After a while, Lance was lightly buzzed, but not enough that he wasn’t able to think coherently. He wanted to dance, and when his friends declined his offer to dance with him, he decided to go over to the dance floor alone. Surely there would be some nice people that would want to dance with him.

It didn’t take long for a guy, definitely Lance’s type from the look of it, to start grinding on him.

“Name’s Zarkon,” the man said.

“I’m Lance. Nice to meet you.”

Lance was actually enjoying himself, and he and Zarkon quickly became each other’s dance partners of the evening. After about the fourth song, however, Lance was thirsty. He smiled at the man and started to leave the dance floor, when a large hand grabbed his wrist.

“Hey, where do you think you’re going?” Zarkon asked, his voice low.

“I’m really thirsty, so I think I’m gonna take a break from dancing for a bit. It was fun dancing with you though!”

Lance tried to walk away, but the man’s grip tightened.

“I’m not done with you yet,” Lance heard him say, sending chills down his spine.

“Well I’m done dancing with you, so please let me go.”

He yanked his wrist free from Zarkon’s grasp and quickly walked away. Unfortunately, the other man was right on his tail and somehow, Lance found himself backed into a corner.

“I don’t like it when cute little boys tease me and then leave me with nothing.”

Lance was truly scared for his life. He wasn’t sure what to do. His friends were on the other side of the bar, and he’d left his phone with them. He was truly trapped. He looked around the man standing over him and almost started crying when he saw a familiar face only a few feet away, standing alone at the bar.

“Hey sweetheart!” Lance called, hoping and praying what he said would catch a certain someone’s attention.

 

\--

 

Shiro had been having an okay time. He didn’t know anyone, and had never been the best at making new friends. The music was good, and he was having fun watching all the drunk people try to dance. He didn't know why he'd come here though. He wasn’t sure if he was happy that no one had tried to come and chat him up, or whether it was bothering him. But no matter what, he couldn’t get those blue eyes out of his mind. He was about to call it quits and just go home when he heard two very distinct words over the loud music.

“Hey sweetheart!”

He knew that voice from somewhere. Shiro looked to his left to see where the voice was coming from. He didn’t see anyone that he knew and was about to shrug it off when his eyes locked onto familiar blue eyes. He smiled, excited that he actually saw the person he’d been thinking about for a week, until he saw the panic that was nearly shouting at him from inside Lance’s eyes. Finally, Shiro was able to see the scene playing out. It was obvious that Lance wasn’t consenting to being backed into the corner by the very large man in front of him.

“Excuse me,” Shiro said, tapping on the giant’s shoulders.

The man was taller and broader than Shiro, which didn’t make him feel any easier about this situation.

When the man didn’t look at him, Shiro put a hand on his arm, willing him to turn around.

“I said, ‘excuse me.’”

“Can I help you?” The man’s voice was a lot deeper, but just as rude sounding, than Shiro had expected.

“I don’t think he wants anything to do with you,” Shiro gestured to Lance, “so maybe you should leave him alone.”

“And just why should I listen to you?”

Shiro looked at Lance and winked.

“He’s my boyfriend.”

“If he’s your boyfriend, then why was he grinding on me like he wanted me?”

Shiro was surprised. He hadn’t expected that Lance would actually flirt with other people. Not that he wasn’t allowed to, but, well Shiro might have been a little jealous.

"You were _what_?" Shiro said, getting into character.

"I-I..." Lance tried to defend himself from Shiro's fake wrath.

"I leave you alone for two seconds and you're already grinding on some other guy?!"

Lance picked it up quickly.

"Well, what else am I supposed to do when my deadbeat boyfriend won't even dance with me on my own birthday?"

_Nice touch_ , Shiro thought to himself.

"Listen," the giant's voice came, sounding more awkward than angry, "you guys obviously have some shit going on that I don't wanna get involved with. I'm out of here."

The big man left, allowing Lance to step out of the corner.

"Looks like I repaid my favor," Shiro joked after the man was gone.

"Thank you so much. I legit thought I was about to get murdered until I saw you standing right over there. What are you doing here anyway? I didn't peg you for a bar type of guy."

"I'm not. This is my first time here. I just figured I'd get out of the house."

_And get you out of my mind_ , Shiro finished in his head.

"Well I sure am glad you picked tonight to come," Lance said. His eyes were watering, and Shiro wasn't sure whether it was from almost being assaulted or from being saved.

"No problem. I'm glad I could help. Nice touch with the birthday thing, by the way."

"Oh, heh, well it actually... _is_ my birthday, today."

"Seriously?"

Lance nodded.

"Well, happy birthday!"

Before Shiro could register what he was doing, he hugged Lance. It was brief, but the contact made his head spin. He'd blame it on the alcohol just in case.

"Ahem," Shiro cleared his throat.

"Well, since I have you here," Shiro noticed how good Lance was at changing the subject, "I need to just say- I've been meaning to text you. I just...wasn't sure what to say. Is 'hello' too formal? Is 'heyyy' too suggestive? Would you even respond if I said 'hi?' I mean, what do I say to a guy I barely know anything about but am extremely interested in?"

Shiro blushed hearing Lance say he was interested in him. This whole time, he'd thought maybe Lance had just asked for his number out of pity or just to be funny.

"No matter what you would have said, I definitely would have responded. In fact, I was mentally berating myself for not getting your number so I could text you first."

"Oh my gosh, yes, _please_. For someone who's so flirty and forward, I definitely have a hard time making the first move. Here, give me your phone and I'll put it in."

"Hey, take me to dinner before you put it in," Shiro said, handing Lance his phone.

"Did...did you just make a sex joke!"

"Yeah...I've had a couple drinks. My inhibitions are mostly out the window at this point."

"I should get you to drink more often."

"Is that an invitation?"

"Goodness, I don't know if I can handle this much drunk, flirty Shiro," Lance blushed.

Shiro felt his heart skip a beat when Lance said his name.

"Oh, I'm definitely not drunk. You'd know if I was. Drunk Shiro is a _lot_ worse."

They both laughed and Lance finished putting his info into Shiro's phone.

"Here," Lance handed the phone back, and Shiro saw that he'd put the blue heart emoji next to his name.

"Do you wanna come over and meet my friends? The three of them invited me out for my birthday. I actually wanted to invite you, but I wasn't sure if that would be weird or not. So I'm really glad we ended up running into each other."

"Of course."

Shiro stepped aside and let Lance lead the way, following close behind him.

Shiro quickly found out that Lance's friends were all really funny and seemed to like him. He learned their names, Hunk, Pidge, and Keith. Lance explained to them how he and Shiro knew each other. Shiro could have sworn they all gave Lance some sort of look, but he didn't think too much of it. He was finally enjoying himself.

As the night progressed and the bar started to empty, they all said their goodbyes. As Shiro walked them to their car, he made sure to ask if the four of them were safe to go home, and was happy to hear that Pidge was the designated driver of the evening. He was about to turn away to leave when Lance, who had gotten fairly drunk, rolled the back window down. Shiro waved at Lance, and the giggling boy blew him a kiss in return before the car sped away.

The whole way home, Shiro couldn't stop thinking about the image of Lance blowing him a kiss. He was so glad he'd run into him again. Maybe he really should get out more often. 

 

\--

 

When Lance got home that night, he fell onto his pillow, a big smile plastered on his face.

"Best birthday ever."


	3. Date Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the day after they go to the bar, and Shiro and Lance finally text each other!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Full disclosure, I wrote Lance's texting like how I normally text. So I'm sorry if it's hard to read or if you think it flows weird, or if you just think it's out of character. I just feel like, you gotta give them texting personalities and so Lance texts like me just, random, like two punctuation marks, run on sentences, no caps, a heathen basically. And Shiro texts like, well my middle aged mother.

**Buff Angel:**

Heyyy

**Lance:**

that's too suggestive

**Buff Angel:**

Hello.

**Lance:**

well that's way too formal

**Buff Angel:**

Whaddup?

**Lance:**

what are you, a frat boy?

**Buff Angel:**

...Hi?

**Lance:**

hi! :)

**Buff Angel:**

Of course it would be the one that you didn't think I'd respond to.

**Lance:**

only two meetings and you already know me so well, it's fate

**Buff Angel:**

Haha

How are you today? How's your head?

**Lance:**

ughghhhh

hangover

**Buff Angel:**

I told you, you're supposed to drink a bunch of water to offset the alcohol so you don't hurt in the morning.

**Lance:**

i'm used to hurting in the mornings

THAT WAS A JOKE!!! JUST FYI!!

**Buff Angel:**

I'm sure it was. ;)

**Lance:**

omggg shut up

and also, don't tell me "i told you so" :P i did drink water!!

**Buff Angel:**

Not enough, obviously.

**Lance:**

UGHUGHUGHHH

**Buff Angel:**

You probably need your rest. Should I stop talking to you? I don't want the bright screen to hurt your eyes.

**Lance:**

omg ;-; you're so sweet wtf

but no, no i'm okay! talking to you is actually helping my headache

**Buff Angel:**

Haha, I try. And good, I'm glad I could help.

**Lance:**

okay i just have to point out the obvious here

i totally expected you to text like my middle aged mother

**Buff Angel:**

Is that so?

Well, for the record, I totally expected you to text like a teenager.

**Lance:**

i take no offense to that because i completely own up to being a shit texter

**Buff Angel:**

I'm glad. :)

**Lance:**

so what are you doing today, my buff angel?

**Buff Angel:**

Is that really what you're going to call me?

**Lance:**

it's ur name in my phone lol

**Buff Angel:**

Of course it is.

Today, I'm helping my dad at his office. He's a lawyer and he has a lot of paperwork to go through. I help him sort it all out and help him with his finances.

**Lance:**

ooh that's fun

**Buff Angel:**

Yeah, not really.

**Lance:**

lol i was gonna say

that sounds boring af

**Buff Angel:**

Yeah, it is boring af.

I'm hoping to get a job for the summer. During the school year, I have a work study job. But during the summer the only work I do is helping my dad. And yes, it pays well, but it's very boring and not worth the time, personally.

**Lance:**

omg where do you go to college?

**Buff Angel:**

Garrison University. It's a little too far upstate or else I could keep my work study job over the summer.

**Lance:**

where do u work at school?

**Buff Angel:**

I work in the library.

**Lance:**

omg sexy librarian

**Buff Angel:**

I...wouldn't say that, but alright.

**Lance:**

wait why not?

do u not think ur sexy ;-;

**Buff Angel:**

Not exactly, no.

**Lance:**

WHAT?? uhm no offense but ur like super hot so

**Buff Angel:**

Thank you. That's very nice of you to say that.

**Lance:**

omg what are u a robot

seriously tho you don't think you're attractive?

**Buff Angel:**

I think I used to be.

**Lance:**

used to?

**Buff Angel:**

I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm not exactly...complete. 

**Lance:**

are you talking about your arm?

**Buff Angel:**

Yes. And a few other things.

**Lance:**

oh dude, no way

is ur dick missing :/

**Buff Angel:**

Haha, thankfully no. Just the arm is gone. But I have this big ass scar on my face, and my hair is forever going to grow white in the front.

I'm sorry, I don't know why I'm telling you this. It's really not that big of a deal.

**Lance:**

listen, dude. i got some things to say. just like give me like one sec so i can write them all out

**Buff Angel:**

Alright.

**Lance:**

first things first, your scar is so badass. i mean, you obviously look like you've been through some shit, but like, it's kinda hot

second, your hair? tbh i thought you dyed it like that bc you thought it looked cool. because it does. it super looks cool.

and lastly, your arm is hella rad. obviously i didn't want to mention it because i know that's rude, but when i first met you i wanted to tell you how cool your robot arm is. it seriously looks so cool. i've never seen a prosthetic like it before. and it's like totally moveable right?? like a real arm?? that's so cool. fuckin robot arm hell yeah

pretty much you're super gorgeous and anyone would be lucky to wake up next to you every morning

**Buff Angel:**

Wow.

**Lance:**

oh shit is that still rude? i'm so sorry

i just wanted to say say you looked cool but if you're offended and never want to talk to me again, i totally get it

**Buff Angel:**

No, sorry. I just wasn't sure how to respond, is all.

It's not rude. It's very sweet of you to say all those things. It's all usually very hard for me to talk about, but you are so easy to talk to. Thank you, Lance. 

I feel like I should tell you that I was in the Army for about two years. I was sent overseas, but was discharged early when a bomb went off and nearly killed me. 

**Lance:**

oh so that's where you lost your arm?

**Buff Angel:**

Yes. I am lucky that my father is a lawyer. He helped me pay for the surgeries and the "robot arm."

**Lance:**

yeah it looks kinda pricey. that's super sweet of your dad though

**Buff Angel:**

Yeah. He's a good man and a great father. 

**Lance:**

i hope i can meet him someday

**Buff Angel:**

I hope you can too.

**Lance:**

omg bring me home to meet your family

i'll pretend to be your boyfriend again LOL

**Buff Angel:**

Maybe you won't have to pretend. ;)

**Lance:**

holy shit just marry me right now

**Buff Angel:**

Haha

Take me on a date first and we'll see.

**Lance:**

i will. i definitely fucking will

**Buff Angel:**

I look forward to it. :)

I'm sorry, my dad needs me. I have to go. I'll talk to you later, okay?

**Lance:**

okay! byeeee

**Buff Angel:**

Bye. :)

 

Lance turned off his phone and clutched it to his chest. His face felt hot and he wanted to scream. When Shiro had said that he wouldn't have to pretend to be his boyfriend he almost threw his phone against the wall. Not because he was mad, but because he almost couldn't believe it was actually happening. But it was! He potentially had a date with _Shiro_. He could hardly wait.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I still don't have a major plot line, so keep on giving me ideas! Tell me what you think they should do next, when/where they should next meet up, what the climax should be, what the ending should be, just any ideas! I wanna know what you all want to read!


	4. Flirt With Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The next two/three chapters are all thanks to users CathInTheBox, Anira8884, and GriffinRose. They had the ideas of Lance walking Rover/running into Shiro and getting tangled up, Lance and Shiro going to an aquarium, and Allura seeing Shiro being totally smitten while he texts Lance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys for your ideas!! And keep them coming! Also, if you've given me an idea and I haven't used it yet even after I said I would, don't worry! I'm not nearly finished with this fic yet, and I am planning on writing it soon! When y'all give me the ideas and the inspiration comes to me, it comes to me in ways that they could connect together. So your idea may not connect with what I have planned with this chapter, but rather a later on chapter. Thanks everyone and I hope you enjoy!

It was mid afternoon when Lance finally got out of bed. He owed Pidge a favor after making her designated driver the night before. He told her he'd walk her Boston Terrier, Rover, for his afternoon walk (Pidge knew Lance would be hungover in the morning so she was gracious enough to let him come in the afternoon). He got up to get ready to head over to Pidge's house when he heard his phone buzz.

 

**Buff Angel:**

Hey, how are you feeling?

 

Lance's heart skipped a beat at how nice Shiro was. He kept asking him if he was okay, how he was feeling, and Lance was reveling in the sweet attention.

 

**Lance:**

i'm feeling a lot better after talking with you this morning :) i also took a nap and just got out of bed lol

**Buff Angel:**

Haha! I don't blame you. You were pretty smashed last night.

**Lance:**

i knowwwww i barely remember any of it tbh

**Buff Angel:**

Wait really?

**Lance:**

yeah i know i'm the worst

**Buff Angel:**

So you don't remember what we did?

**Lance:**

what?

what did we do??

**Buff Angel:**

I can't believe you forgot. I thought what we had was special. :(

**Lance:**

SSHIT WHAT DID WE DO??!!

OMG SHIRO I'M SO SORRY

I'LL MAKE IT UP TO YOU WHATEVER IT WAS

omg please answer

i'm sorry please don't be mad

**Buff Angel:**

I'm totally messing with you.

**Lance:**

what

**Buff Angel:**

I'm messing with you. Nothing happened. I'm sorry for freaking you out. It was too funny though. ;)

**Lance:**

fuck off omg you scared the shit out of me

**Buff Angel:**

Hahaha

I'm sorry I just couldn't resist.

**Lance:**

ughgghhggh you're the worsttt

okay but seriously nothing happened?

**Buff Angel:**

Nope. Nothing, other than you loudly singing along to the songs that came on. Oh, and you blew me a kiss goodbye. But that was about it.

**Lance:**

yeah that sounds like me lol

but yeah omg i thought maybe we made out or something and i didn't remember

i would literally die if that had happened

**Buff Angel:**

No we didn't. Not yet. ;)

**Lance:**

omg you have to stop saying stuff like that

**Buff Angel:**

Like what?

**Lance:**

like how we haven't made out YET, or how i wouldn't have to pretend to be your boyfriend, that sort of thing

**Buff Angel:**

Why?

**Lance:**

because if none of that stuff comes true i don't know if i could go on living

**Buff Angel:**

Who said I don't plan on making those things come true?

 

Lance didn't know how to respond. His face was on fire and his heart was beating faster than it did on track and field day in middle school. And he was a fat kid. His phone buzzed again before he could type out an answer.

 

**Buff Angel:**

Sorry, was that too much?

**Lance:**

NO!!

uh no it was great and you better not be lying or i'll cry lol

i'm sorry i just wasn't sure how to respond. you're so sweet and nice and then you say shit that makes me super blushy and i just don't know how to deal with it

(that's a good thing btw)

**Buff Angel:**

Haha, don't worry, I'm not lying. ;)

If it makes you feel better, that's exactly how I feel when we talk in person.

**Lance:**

omg

you? blushy and nervous?

**Buff Angel:**

Believe it or not, yes.

**Lance:**

that's really cute ;-;

**Buff Angel:**

Haha, thanks, I guess.

**Lance:**

ur welcome :)

 

Lance took a deep breath. Shiro had told him to take him out on a date (whether joking or not), so he was going to do just that. Or, he was going to try. He just needed the confidence to do it.

 

**Lance:**

hey Shiro?

**Buff Angel:**

Yes, Lance?

 

Lance put his phone down for a moment to soak in Shiro calling him by his name and then resumed typing.

 

**Lance:**

well since i have you here, i was wondering

uhm

do you maybe wanna go to the aquarium with me tomorrow? you probably think that's like super nerdy but idk i thought it might be fun to see all the fish and stuff

or if tomorrow doesn't work we can just find another day.

or like we can just forget i asked if you don't want to

**Buff Angel:**

I'd love to. :)

 

Lance nearly screamed.

 

**Lance:**

cool! so tomorrow at 2?

**Buff Angel:**

Sounds like a date.

**Lance:**

okay i'll see you there?

**Buff Angel:**

Yup. See you there. :)

 

Lance had to lay down for a second. He had an _actual date_ planned with Shiro _tomorrow_. He closed his eyes for a second, dreaming about him and Shiro, living together in a big house with a picket fence and a dog and-

"Oh shit!"

He got up and pulled his pants on, grabbing a few of his roommate Hunk's homemade cookies on the way out.

When he got to Pidge's house, she opened the door and crossed her arms in disappointment.

"You're late."

"I know, I'm sorry. Cookie?"

He gave her a cookie and she looked like she was thinking over whether or not to let him inside.

"I was talking to someone, and I lost track of time," he continued.

"Shiro?" Pidge smirked.

"Yeah..." Lance rubbed his hand on the back of his neck as he smiled shyly.

"I guess I can excuse that then," she said and moved aside so Lance could come in. He decided to ignore the knowing look she gave him.

"He's all ready to go!" Pidge said, crouching down to pet Rover. "He's very excited that Uncle Lance is going to be walking him today."

"And Uncle Lance couldn't be more thrilled," Lance deadpanned.

"Oh whatever, you love him and you know it."

"Yeah I love him, but he's a demon when he goes on walks. All he does is sniff around and drag you in a different direction than you want to go. And he poops when a group of cute cheerleaders walk by!"

"That was once," Pidge said and Lance was reminded of the time in high school when she'd made him walk Rover while her family was out of town. "He's a good boy." She kissed the dog on his head and handed the leash to Lance. "Thank you!" she smiled deviously.

"Yeah, yeah." He took the leash and he and Rover walked out the door.


	5. Run Into Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Long chapter ahead! We find out what happens to Lance while he walks Rover!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyyyyy so I have a work skin that allows you to see emojis! So if you have my work skin turned off, you probably won't see the emojis, but it's just a blue heart by Lance's name that you'd be missing!

"No, bad dog!"

Lance was having some trouble. Rover wanted to sniff at a dog through the fence near the sidewalk, while Lance was trying to turn a corner. Rover was winning.

"Come on, we're almost done. I just wanna go home so I can plan out my outfit for my date tomorrow. _Please_ , Rover."

Lance tugged on Rover's leash one last time and Rover finally left the fence alone.

"Good boy," he said as he started to turn the corner. But as he did, he ran right into someone else's chest.

"Ooph!" He started to fall, but immediately felt strong arms catch him midair.

"Oh, I'm so sorry...Lance?"

Sure enough, Shiro, sweating and dressed in a typical running outfit, was standing over him, keeping him from falling over.

"My hero," Lance said, confused but glad Shiro's arms were wrapped around him.

"I'm hardly a hero since I'm the one that almost knocked you over in the first place."

Shiro pulled Lance back up to a standing position and moved away, blushing slightly.

"We seem to keep running into each other. Literally," Lance said once he came back to reality. "It must be fate."

"Must be," Shiro smiled. "Wait, so do you live in this neighborhood? I've never seen you around here before."

"No, I'm just walking my friend Pidge's demon dog."

"He seems pretty friendly to me," Shiro said, bending down to pet Rover.

"Yeah, until you're the one holding the leash."

Shiro laughed and let Rover lick his hand before he stood back up.

"So you're walking Pidge's dog, why?"

"She says I owe her for making her designated driver last night. She's always finding reasons for me to walk her dog for her, I swear."

Rover was sniffing around Shiro, probably making sure he was safe for Lance to be around.

"So you live here?" Lance said, taking his eyes away from the dog to glance at the sweat rolling down Shiro's chest and into his shirt, lost forever.

"Yeah! My dad and I live a couple streets over. We moved here after...well everything."

Shiro brought his metal arm up a bit to emphasize what 'everything' meant. Unfortunately, Rover thought Shiro's arm was some kind of weapon, and he started barking and running around the two of them, his leash wrapping around their ankles.

"Rover, no!" Lance yelled in protest as he lost his balance again.

He fell forward, hands coming up and resting on Shiro's pecs. Shiro seemed to stumble forward as well, and rather than holding his hands up to keep himself from falling over, he put his hands around Lance's shoulder blades, keeping them both upright.

Lance's senses were on overload. He could feel Shiro's muscles under his hands, and somehow the smell of sweat coming from Shiro was pleasant instead of gross. Had it not been for the awkwardness of the situation, he would have truly enjoyed the experience. So, of course, being Lance, he had to make a joke.

"So... Have you ever seen 101 Dalmations?"

Shiro's laugh was deep and loud, and it rumbled through Lance while they were pressed so close together.

Once Lance was finally able to calm Rover down, he untangled the two of them from the leash trap.

"Okay I think he's had a long enough walk," Lance said once they were separated.

"Which way are you going? I can walk you back if you like?"

"Y-yeah, that'd be great."

They walked together to Pidge's house, Rover running inside the gate when Lance unleashed him.

"It was nice _running into_ you," Shiro said with a smile.

Lance didn't believe for one second that Shiro was nervous and blushy when they were together like he'd told Lance. And if he was, he was really good at hiding it. Lance didn't want Shiro to hide it though, especially since it occurred to him that he was the only one currently blushing. So he was going to make Shiro show it. And maybe their...whatever they had wasn't ready for what Lance was about to do, but he was going to do it anyway.

"It was good to run into you, too," he responded.

He waited a second and then leaned over and pecked a quick kiss on Shiro's cheek. He immediately got the response he wanted. Shiro's face flushed a bright pink and his eyes widened.

"I'll see you tomorrow!" Lance said as if nothing had happened. He started walking to the front door, shutting the gate between them.

"S-see you tomorrow..." Shiro said in a soft voice that Lance almost missed.

Lance walked inside, and as he turned to shut the door, he saw Shiro still standing there, touching his cheek with a big smile on his face.

 

\--

 

Later that evening, Shiro was screaming into a pillow on his bed.

"You're going to hurt your voice if you keep doing that, you know."

Shiro's best friend Allura had come over so he could scream to her about Lance and so she could help him figure out what to wear tomorrow for their date.

"I don't care anymore. If I could feel this way forever, I'd go mute the rest of my life."

"You're such a sap."

"And how's that girl you like? Katie, was it?"

"Shhhh, we're talking about you right now."

"Fine, fine," Shiro laughed.

"So, what happened after he kissed you?"

"Uh, well... I may have stood there like an idiot while he walked inside because I was literally frozen in place. I didn't expect him to do that! I mean sure we've joked around about kissing and that sort of stuff, but i didn't expect him to do it so soon."

Shiro played with the edge of his pillow, a faint smile on his face.

"It was only on the cheek, you know."

Allura didn't have time for any bullshit. That's why she was perfect for Shiro to talk things out with. 

"I know but...I don't know! It still feels like such a big step. I don't want to rush anything."

"Well, you _have_ seen each other in person three times now. I don't think hanging out three times before a kiss on the cheek is moving too fast."

"Yeah, but the first time was the very first time we met, and this time it was only about fifteen minutes."

"Still. Some people kiss after only the first date. Speaking of which, are you planning on kissing him tomorrow?"

"I...don't know."

"What if he tries to kiss you? Will you let him?"

"I mean, probably? I really do like him and I _want_ to kiss him. I just don't want this to go too fast and then end with a lot of hurt feelings because we didn't take it slow."

"I understand. But I also think that if you're ready and you want something, why wait for it if you can have it now?"

"Yeah, you're right, Allura."

"I'm always right," she winked.

"Of course you are."

Shiro laughed but was cut off by his text tone.

"Uhm..."

"Who is it? Is it Lance?" Allura said Lance's name with a lilt.

"Yes. It is," Shiro said, opening the message and smiling.

"Well, what does it say?!"

 

**Lance (Blue Heart ):**

goodnight sweet prince

 

"He knows Shakespeare?" Allura asked, surprised.

"Of course he does. He's very smart, thank you very much," Shiro said. "...But also he might be referring to the meme."

Allura laughed as Shiro typed out a response.

 

**Shiro:**

Like Hamlet or the meme?

**Lance (Blue Heart ):**

hamlet of course

but also the meme lol

**Shiro:**

Lol I figured.

Oh, by the way, my friend Allura says "hi."

**Lance (Blue Heart ):**

ooh is she cute?

**Shiro:**

:(

**Lance (Blue Heart ):**

LMAO

i'm jk

there's only one man for me

[Image Received]  
Rover (Blue Heart )

**Shiro:**

Are you trying to make me jealous of a dog?

Because it's working. 

**Lance (Blue Heart ):**

LOL

omg jealous Shiro...i'd love to see that

**Shiro:**

Are you sure? I can get very possessive. ;)

**Lance (Blue Heart ):**

i just choked and started coughing and now pidge is totally judging me and i'm blaming you

**Shiro:**

Hahaha

Are you okay, though?

**Lance (Blue Heart ):**

yeah yeah i'm fine

but you might have to start sending me a warning before you send flirty texts

**Shiro:**

Aw, but where's the fun in that?

**Lance (Blue Heart ):**

are u saying you like making me choke?

DON'T ANSWER THAT

**Shiro:**

LOL

**Lance (Blue Heart ):**

good lord you make me so flustered

**Shiro:**

Is that a bad thing?

**Lance (Blue Heart ):**

it's definitely NOT a bad thing <3

**Shiro:**

Oh. Good. :)

 

Shiro smiled at his phone and made a small, content noise.

"Goodness, look at you. You're so smitten. It's actually quite adorable. You definitely need some help though."

"What are you talking ab- ALLURA! Give me back my phone!"

 

**Shiro:**

Hey Lance this is Allura and I just wanted to say that Shiro is very excited for your date tomorrow and also he said that if you wanted to kiss him after the date, he would not be opposed okay byee

 

"And, send," she said right before Shiro grabbed the phone out of her hand.

"What did you do?!"

"I just helped out a bit."

"I'm dead," Shiro said as he read what Allura sent. "He's not ever going to want to go on a date with me now."

"Oh, stop being dramatic. All I did was tell him what he obviously wanted to hear."

Just then, Shiro's text tone went off again.

"You might wanna get that."

"You might wanna get that," Shiro repeated mockingly as he looked at his phone. 

"Real mature."

Shiro looked at Allura dumbfoundedly.

"Yeah, okay I don't have much room to talk after that."

He looked back at his phone and almost screamed again.

 

**Lance (Blue Heart ):**

omg???!!!!???!??

well tell him that if he wanted to kiss me DURING the date, i wouldn't be opposed either ;)

 

"I told you!" Allura squealed as she read over Shiro's shoulder.

"Yeah, yeah."

 

**Shiro:**

Hey...

Sorry about that.

I can't stand Allura sometimes.

 

"Rude."

"Stop reading over my shoulder!"

 

**Lance (Blue Heart ):**

idk i'm starting to like her ;)

**Shiro:**

Yeah, now that I think about it, you two would probably get along very well.

**Lance (Blue Heart ):**

hahahaaaaa

well tell her i love her already

**Shiro:**

She said she loves you too.

And now she is making me tell you what she actually said: "Save some of that love for Shiro."

Can I die?

**Lance (Blue Heart ):**

:( no! then i won't have anyone to go on a date with tomorrow

**Shiro:**

Speaking of which, she was right about something. I am very excited for our date tomorrow.

**Lance (Blue Heart ):**

only the date? ;)

**Shiro:**

Haha...

I'm a little too embarrassed to answer that right now, sorry.

**Lance (Blue Heart ):**

don't worry, tomorrow we won't need to talk ;)

**Shiro:**

Okay, now I know how you feel when I flirt over text.

**Lance (Blue Heart ):**

LOL that's what you get

especially after "i get blushy and nervous in person with you" and then i was the only one that acted like that today until i kissed your cheek

**Shiro:**

Oh, so you planned that specifically so I would blush? And here I thought you did it just because you wanted to kiss me. :/

**Lance (Blue Heart ):**

i mean it was definitely a little of both lol

and i DO wanna kiss you

uhm, but anyway

i'm very excited for tomorrow too

**Shiro:**

I can't wait. :)

**Lance (Blue Heart ):**

me neither <3

hey it's getting late and i need to go to sleep soon, so i'm gonna have to say goodnight

**Shiro:**

Goodnight, sweet prince.

**Lance (Blue Heart ):**

hey that's my line :P lol

goodnight Shiro <3

**Shiro:**

Goodnight, Lance. See you tomorrow.

**Lance (Blue Heart ):**

see you tomorrow :)

 

Shiro put his phone down and smiled to himself.

"So when's the wedding?" Allura asked, standing behind Shiro.

Shiro jumped; he'd almost forgotten she was there. 

"Shut up," he said, though he was still smiling.

He was so happy. And tomorrow, he was going on a date with a cute boy. And he was going to kiss him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You're probably wondering why if I could make emojis in their phone names, why didn't I just make them use emojis when they text? Well, the answer is simple: it's hard :/
> 
> Also! keep the ideas coming! What should they do on their date? Other than the obvious ;)


	6. Kiss Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aquarium date! This chapter was inspired by AshaSei, NamlessIceGoddes, and Anira8884! All of your ideas were so helpful!! I hope I did them justice! <3 I actually did a lot of research for this one chapter so I'm proud of myself LOL
> 
> Edit: I just thought of a really cute song for this chapter called Shark by Oh Wonder and anyway it's perfect for them so if you want to listen to it for your enjoyment, be my guest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To better paint a picture in your mind, here are some pictures that I had in mind while writing:
> 
> Lance’s outfit:  
> https://sc01.alicdn.com/kf/HTB1nmuaKFXXXXa6XFXXq6xXFXXXz/Dark-blue-plain-men-tank-tops.jpg
> 
> Shiro’s outfit:  
> http://3i1e5d437yd84efcy34dardm.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/best-henley-shirt-for-men-2016-john-varvatos-snap-button-2017.jpg
> 
> Shark tunnel:  
> http://ni-linguistics.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/MIAMI-17-NILI.jpg

It was 2:01 and Shiro was standing outside the aquarium, waiting for Lance. He wasn’t nervous, definitely not. Lance was on his way and they were going to have a great time and he wasn’t going to die. Probably. And he _definitely_ hadn’t brushed his teeth four times before he left his house either. He checked the time again. 2:02. The longer he waited for Lance, the more he’d wished he’d brushed a fifth time.

At 2:05, he started to worry. Maybe Lance had forgotten? Maybe he didn’t really want to go on the date? Maybe Lance had been in a wreck on the way over here and he would never see him or his beautiful blue eyes ever again? He was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn’t see Lance walk up to him until a hand was rested on his arm.

“Are you alright, there big guy?” Lance asked.

“Lance! Sorry I was just…thinking,” Shiro replied, his worry completely washed away as those blue eyes stared at him.

“What were you thinking about?”

“You.”

Shiro saw Lance blush and quickly tried to correct himself.

“Uh, I just mean I was thinking about the date and-“

“It’s okay, I know it must be hard to get me out of your mind.” Lance wiggled his eyebrows.

 _You have no idea_.

“Sorry I was late, I thought I had enough time when I left, but I should have ran.”

“Wait, you walked here?”

“Well, yeah. I mean I only live a few streets over, and I don’t have a car so…”

“You should have told me and I would have picked you up.”

“I didn’t want to trouble you.”

“No trouble at all,” Shiro smiled at Lance. “I’d be happy to drive you home, if that’s okay with you?”

“Sounds good,” Lance smiled back.

 

They walked in, getting their hands stamped at the front desk.

“Mondays are free for students, so I come here a lot.”

“The planetarium downtown has a day like that too. We should go sometime.”

“Yeah, we should,” Lance smiled. “I’m glad you’re a cheapskate like me.”

“We’re in college, what else would you expect?” Shiro laughed. “So, why the aquarium?”

“I love looking at all the fish and stuff. I don’t actually remember this, but my mother used to tell me that when I was little and we lived near the beach, I used to say I wanted to be a fish so I could swim in the ocean all day. She used to call me her _pez bebé_ which means ‘baby fish.’ Sometimes she still does.”

“That’s so cute.”

“I mean I guess when I was little, but it’s kind of stupid talking about it now,” Lance said. He brought his hand up to rub the back of his neck in embarrassment.

“It’s not stupid at all,” Shiro said.

Lance slowly dropped his hand and smiled at Shiro. Shiro glanced down at Lance’s hand for a moment, and had a sudden urge to hold it. Unfortunately, he was standing on the wrong side. He was sure Lance wouldn’t want to hold his cold metal hand, so he began to push the feeling back down. He looked away and took a mental note to stand to Lance’s right next time, before he felt a slight movement in his right shoulder.

Lance was holding his hand. His _prosthetic_ hand.

Shiro felt like crying. Of the few people he dated after he lost his arm, none of them wanted anything to do with the prosthetic, let alone treat it like a normal appendage. But Lance was holding his hand as if it was the most normal thing in the world.

Shiro cleared the lump in his throat and tried to speak.

“Where did you live that was near the beach?”

“I’m originally from Cuba. We moved here when I was young, so I don’t really remember much from it, but I do remember the beach. I miss it sometimes, and coming here reminds me of my old home I guess. I’d love to go back someday.”

“Maybe one day you can.”

“Maybe you could come with me,” Lance said, glancing up at Shiro. “I hear there’s a gay beach now that like, everyone has to go to,” Lance laughed.

“I’d love that.”

 

They walked around the aquarium, and Shiro found out quickly Lance knew exactly where and what everything was. Lance told him that one of his favorites were the jellyfish, and promptly named every type of jellyfish the aquarium had. He showed Shiro around, telling him random facts about the different types of fish they passed by. He even had his own names for some of the more identifiable ones.

They got to the interactive section, where they had stingrays on display that guests could touch. Shiro wasn’t sure he wanted to touch a stingray, but Lance walked right over and plunged his hand in the water without a second thought.

“Come here!” Lance called Shiro - who was waiting a few feet away - over to him.

“I don’t know if I-“

“It’s okay! They won’t hurt you! The aquarium wouldn’t have them out to touch if they could. Here,” Lance took Shiro’s left hand and placed it at the very top of the water.

“Uh, Lance…”

“It’s okay, I promise. I wouldn’t let anything hurt you.” Lance’s face was gentle as he gave Shiro a smile. “Oh look! Here comes a friend.”

One of the stingrays swam by, and Lance gently pressed deeper into the water as it passed under Shiro’s hand. Shiro made a small noise, one of uneasiness, but quickly relaxed at how simple and non-threatening the small creature was.

“See? It’s not so bad, is it?”

“I guess not,” Shiro smiled.

Lance let go of his hand, allowing him to choose what he wanted to do. He was still nervous, but he decided to keep his hand there, waiting for another ray to swim by. Lance put his own hand back in and ran his fingers along the back of one of the rays near him.

“You don’t have to just stay there and wait for one to swim under you, you can find one to touch.

“I know. I think I might need to work my way up to that, though.”

“No rush.” Lance’s voice was soft and distant, focused on the creatures in the pool, but he still kept an eye on Shiro.

After a few moments, Shiro moved, letting himself seek out a ray to touch. He shifted closer to Lance, who was almost on the other side of the pool. He touched ray after ray, no longer scared of being stung, and let his hand move back and forth in the pool. He saw a big ray in the corner, and floated his hand over to touch it, accidentally brushing against another hand that had the same idea. He looked up and Lance was standing there, beaming with pride that Shiro was enjoying himself.

 

“Let’s go to the shark exhibit, next! It’s by far the best part of the entire aquarium,” Lance said as they were cleaning their hands from being in the fishy water.

They walked down to where the shark exhibit was and automatically Shiro noticed how the atmosphere changed. All the lights were blue and it was significantly darker. There was also calming music playing throughout, rather than the upbeat radio music from the rest of the aquarium. Hanging from the ceiling over the entrance was an old shark skeleton, it’s mouth hanging open threateningly.

“Okay so,” Lance started, obviously knowing what was good and where to go first. “Let’s go over there, where that big swing is.”

Shiro followed Lance to a giant hammock looking thing hanging from the ceiling. There were wires coming through the handles and buttons that you could press next to the seat. There were a few kids all sitting together on it, looking excitedly at a big screen in front of the swing that was talking about a specific type of shark. As the kids all hurried off, Lance walked up next to it.

“So this thing here is what we call the Shark Swing. It’s actually more like a hammock, but it looks like a swing, so that’s what we call it. Pretty much, you sit here, and it will measure your weight and compare you to a type of shark that weighs similarly! When we were younger, Hunk, Pidge, Keith, and I would all sit on it together to make the weight go up so we could get a bigger shark. We got up to a blue shark once, which was like almost 500 pounds. Go ahead and take a seat, and we’ll see what type of shark you are.”

It seemed easy enough, but as soon as Shiro heard him say that Lance and his friends would all sit together, he didn’t want to sit by himself.

He took a seat and then grabbed Lance’s hand, pulling him closer. Lance’s eyes widened and Shiro could tell Lance knew what he was trying to do. Slowly, so as to not hurt the boy by pushing him, Shiro turned him around so Lance was facing away from him. He then pulled Lance closer and made him sit on his lap. As soon as Lance was seated, Shiro could see the stubborn look on his red face. He was obviously trying not to give Shiro the satisfaction of making him blush. It didn’t work.

After a few seconds, the screen in front of them changed, showing them what kind of shark they compared to.

“Looks like we’re a Nurse shark,” Shiro said in Lance’s ear, his small laugh tickling the younger man and making him scrunch his neck.

“Okay, okay,” Lance giggled as he stood up. “Gaahhhh… Stop trying to make me flustered!” He shivered over-dramatically to emphasize his statement.

“I wouldn’t say ‘trying’ at this point. More like ‘succeeding.’”

Shiro laughed as Lance glared at him playfully.

“Yeah, yeah, ‘Lance blushes easily,’ go ahead, make your fun.”

“Aw…” Shiro pouted, fake mocking the boy. “Alright, I'm done.”

“Good, because we’ve got more to see.”

Lance took his hand and pulled him along, taking him into a large, tunnel-like room where the walls and ceiling were made of thick glass, behind which a few dozen sharks were swimming all around them.

“I saved the best for last,” Lance said, looking around with a bright smile.

They walked further in; a few people walked past them to the exit, leaving them alone with the sharks.

“There’s so many," Shiro said, awe-struck. "And this is completely safe?" His demeanor instantly switched. "There’s no way the sharks can break through the glass, right?”

“Don’t worry. I’m pretty sure it’s like two feet of glass. There’s no way they could break through. Even if the glass did break, the sharks would probably die before they could hurt you.”

“That doesn’t exactly make me feel better.”

“What I’m trying to say is, the glass won’t break. I wouldn’t bring you here if it wasn’t completely safe.”

“I know. Sorry. I probably sound really childish. I’ve never been near the ocean or seen any of these animals up close before. The only thing I have to go off of is movies about sharks and documentaries about killer stingrays.”

“All of those shark movies are completely bullshit, you know? Sharks don’t eat humans. Sharks are kind of like puppies, they’re clumsy and curious and they bite when something is put in front of their face. They don’t mean to hurt humans. It’s just sometimes, especially with surfers and stuff, humans that are swimming around where the sharks live get mistaken for seals. So they swim up, take a bite, and go ‘Oh wait, that’s not a seal. Sorry, nevermind!’ Of course, the human that gets a bite taken out of them isn’t exactly happy about it, but in all honestly, it’s the human’s fault for invading the shark’s home.”

“You sure know a lot about sharks,” Shiro said, enjoying Lance’s spout of shark knowledge.

“Oh. Yeah, I guess I do. This is my favorite part of the entire aquarium, so I spend most of my time here when I visit. I guess I kind of just picked up random facts from coming so much.”

There was a loud _BUMP!_ from behind them and they both whirled around.

“Lola!” Lance said, walking over to the shark near the wall that had rammed face-first into the glass.

“Who is Lola?”

“I call that one Lola. She’s missing an eye, so she can’t see very well and she always runs into the glass. She’s Bull shark. And she’s fat and I love her. See that one with the black tips? He’s a Blacktip reef shark that I call Socks.”

“Socks?”

“You know how people call cats that are black with white paws Socks? Well, this is a gray shark with black tipped fins, so…I don’t know… Socks.”

“I like it.”

“That one close the the ground is a Nurse shark. Like…the one we were compared to.” Lance cleared his throat. “And the one with the weird stripes is a Port Jackson shark.” He looked up to the sharks swimming above them, and smiled as he spotted another one. “Here comes good ol' Blue. She’s a Blue shark. Not the most creative name, I know.”

Lance put his hand on the glass, completely captivated with the creatures in front of him. It warmed Shiro’s heart to see Lance talking about something he cared so deeply about with such enthusiasm and passion. Shiro stood behind, watching him, rather than the sharks. He didn’t remember when he started smiling, but as he stared at Lance, it grew. Lance's face was illuminated by the blue water as he watched the sharks, and he looked like he really belonged in the water with them. He looked so happy and beautiful and there was no where else Shiro ever wanted to be than right there with Lance in that moment.

Neither of them had said anything for a while, and Lance had apparently noticed, blinking a few times and removing his hand from the glass. He turned to say something to Shiro, but only a small gasp escaped his lips as their eyes met. They were standing less than a foot apart from each other.

Slowly, they drifted together, eyes locked onto each other. Shiro wrapped his prosthetic arm around Lance, who rested both hands on his biceps. Shiro’s other hand came up to hold the back of Lance’s head and Lance’s eyes fluttered shut at the fingers playing with his hair. They leaned in and everything went quiet.

_BUMP!_

They both jumped at the noise, turning their heads to the glass where Lola had ran into it right next to them.

“Way to ruin a moment," Lance called after her. "She’s probably jealous that I’m not giving her all the atten-“

Lance was cut off by Shiro’s lips crashing against his. There was no way Shiro was going to let anything get in the way of kissing Lance right then, especially some clumsy shark with a human name.

Shiro wasn’t planning on the kiss being very long, but when he felt Lance’s initial shock melt away and the boy press into him more, he didn’t want it to end. It did though, but only because Lance pulled away first.

“Eager much?” Lance asked, Shiro’s arms still wrapped around him.

“You could say that,” Shiro’s voice was soft and low, his breathing a bit unsteady. “Allura told me last night that if I am ready and I want something, why should I wait for it if I could have it now? And she was right. Because I couldn’t wait one more second to kiss you.”

Shiro could see behind Lance’s eyes, his brain turning it’s gears, trying to process what Shiro had said and come up with an answer. Shiro didn’t need an answer though, Lance’s soft facial expression and shining eyes told him that the brunet felt the same. 

“That’s pretty gay,” Lance said, finally responding with a joke.

“Yeah, I guess it is.” Shiro laughed, holding Lance closer in his arms. He wouldn’t have expected the other man to respond any other way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love my blushy boys ;-;
> 
> Also, I was totally planning on NOT having them kiss this chapter, and leaving them to feel awkward after Lola interrupted them, but my heart just couldn't take it.
> 
> (And I know that the glass is too thick that the sharks can't actually make a noise when they bump into it, but it helped with plot, so ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ )
> 
> I'm hoping to get the next chapter up soon, which will finish up the date, but what do you think should happen next?? Leave me a comment with your ideas!!! <3
> 
> triggeringangel on tumblr drew this beautiful piece of art for this chapter:  
> http://triggeringangel.tumblr.com/post/162606088602/text-me-is-one-of-the-best-if-not-the-best  
> it's so lovely and perfectly encapsulates not just the emotions but the visuals i had when i wrote the hand holding scene. also they're just a delightful person, so please check them out!


	7. Miss Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter mostly sums up the end of the date, and then what happens right after. I'm very excited for what's to come, and I hope y'all are too! Also please read the chapter notes for more (important) info!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just realized a couple of things, so let me start by saying  
> 1\. Here, I am headcanoning Lance as 21 (the chapter with his birthday was his 21st that's why they went to the bar to celebrate lol) and Shiro at about 25/26 (since he was in the military for a few years, he went to college late aka why he's still in college at 25 lol)  
> 2\. if this wasn't obvious, with the chapters that have texting, each big space between the texts under one person's name signifies a different message  
> 3\. thank you all so much for your ideas! i've finally found inspiration for a big plot point, so i won't be needing as many plot ideas, but if you still want to send ideas, i'll take them, however i may not use them <3 still love u tho  
> 4\. re: #3, hope y'all like angst LOL (don't worry it won't be too bad and it will be fluffy while angsty??? you'll find out but it won't be bad, promise)

They were holding hands as they walked out of the shark exhibit to the front of the aquarium, both very pleased with their aquatic experience.

“Thanks for today. I had a lot of fun,” Shiro said, bumping his shoulder into Lance’s affectionately. He was holding Shiro’s prosthetic hand again.

“I should be the one thanking _you_. After that kiss back there? Hoo, mama,” Lance said as he fanned himself. “Or, should I say, _ay papi_!” He all but screamed the last two words. 

“Lance-!” Shiro looked around to see if anyone had heard. Thankfully, the place was mostly empty since it was near closing.

Lance started laughing while Shiro died a little bit inside.

“We gotta get you to let out your wild side a little. Let loose, be crazy in public, that sort of thing.”

“Maybe on the second date,” Shiro said. “I think after touching stingrays and making a shark jealous, I’ve had enough _wild_ for today.”

“Wrong kind of wild, but I’ll let it pass. I’m proud of you for coming with me and doing that stuff, even if it was a bit out of your comfort zone.”

“I’d never go back into my comfort zone if it meant I was making you happy.”

“Ugghh,” Lance buried his face in Shiro’s shoulder in embarrassment. “You’re a sap.” He swatted Shiro’s chest with his other hand endearingly.

“Only for you.”

“UGGHH!”

Shiro laughed as they walked to his car.

 

When they got to Lance, Keith and Hunk’s shared house, Shiro got out and opened the car door for Lance, walking to his front porch hand in hand.

“I had a really great time with you, Shiro. I hope we can go out again sometime soon?” Lance said it as more of a question.

“Of course. Just text me and we’ll figure it out,” Shiro smiled.

They drifted together again, both having the same idea. This time, there would be no distractions or pauses. They leaned in and pressed their lips together, both smiling into the kiss.

Unfortunately, right at that moment, the front door swung open, Hunk, Keith, and Pidge all staring at the two of them. They pulled apart quickly and stepped away from each other, just to be safe.

“Uh, hey guys. W-we were just…kissing?” Lance didn’t even try to give an excuse.

Hunk folded his arms and stepped outside, a menacing look on his face. It only lasted a second though, as he quickly dropped his facade and picked up both Lance and Shiro, squeezing them to him.

“I’m so happy for you both,” Hunk said and gently set them down.

“Thanks, buddy.” Lance was definitely embarrassed. “Okay, you’ve done your embarrassing ‘mom’ thing, now please go back inside so we can actually say goodbye.” He shoved his friend back inside and shut the door, the three of them undoubtedly listening through it.

“I’m sorry about that. They’re so embarrassing. Worse than my mom.”

“It’s fine. They mean well. I’m just glad Hunk likes me.”

“Hunk? Of course he likes you. He might look big and scary but he’s a literal teddy bear. He likes you because you make me happy. And as long as I’m happy, he’s happy.”

Shiro smiled and stepped towards Lance again, placing a small kiss on his cheek.

“I'll see you soon.”

He slowly backed away and walked to his car. When he opened his door, he waved at Lance and the boy waved back, a small smile on his face.

 

\--

**Lance:**

i changed your name in my phone

**Shark Boy:**

What did you change it to?

**Lance:**

Shark Boy lol

**Shark Boy:**

Does that make you Lava Girl?

**Lance:**

LOL YES

omg i didn't even think about that

honestly that was Taylor Lautner's best movie

**Shark Boy:**

Agreed.

Oh, by the way. I'm sorry I didn't tell you this earlier, I think I got a little flustered and just forgot to respond. But I wanted to tell you that you make me happy too.

**Lance:**

:)

it’s okay, you didn't have to say it to me just because i said it

**Shark Boy:**

I know. But I’m not saying it just because you did. I’m saying it because it’s true.

I know we've only gone on one date, and we haven't even known each other very long, but I can already tell. You're very special to me, Lance.

**Lance:**

;-; omg <3

you're special to me too

**Shark Boy:**

I'm so glad. :)

I really did have a great time today. Thank you showing me part of your world.

**Lance:**

of course! anytime

now you have to show me a part of yours ;)

didn't you say something about a planetarium?

**Shark Boy:**

Oh yeah! The planetarium is downtown. Would you like to go with me sometime?

**Lance:**

yes!!!

who what when where how why

**Shark Boy:**

Lol

Well, we already know the who, what, where, and why.

Do you want to go next Wednesday? It's free admission on Wednesdays.

**Lance:**

why not this wednesday?

**Shark Boy:**

I definitely would except my dad is about to go out of town. He has a lot of work that needs to be done before he goes and he needs my help. I already told him I'd help him the next couple of days before he leaves. I'm sorry.

**Lance:**

it's okay! your dad needs you, that's way more important

**Shark Boy:**

You're important too.

But thank you for understanding.

So...next Wednesday? Say around 1?

**Lance:**

oh!! yes!! next wednesday at 1 is perfect

**Shark Boy:**

I can pick you up if you need. I don't want you walking all the way downtown when I have a car.

**Lance:**

okay, okay lol yes that would be very nice of you, thank you

**Shark Boy:**

You're welcome. :)

**Lance:**

i'm so excited!!

**Shark Boy:**

Me too!

**Lance:**

wait a second

that means i'll have to wait more than a week to see you again :(

**Shark Boy:**

I know. :(

**Lance:**

i'm willing to wait for you though

**Shark Boy:**

I'll hold you to those words. ;)

**Lance:**

good. because i will. no matter what, i'll wait for you.

**Shark Boy:**

Thank you, Lance. That means more than you know.

**Lance:**

you're welcome <3

**Shark Boy:**

I'm going to head to bed. Have a good night. <3

**Lance:**

goodnight <3

 

Lance sat on his bed and smiled. He never would have expected how different his life could become in a week just because a stranger sat down at his table and pretended to be his boyfriend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not gonna lie, I literally had Lance change Shiro's name in his phone just so i could make the Shark Boy and Lava Girl reference LOL


	8. Tell Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Planetarium date!!!! AshaSei asked for a planetarium date, but I switched up who took who because I also was asked for an aquarium date, and I really like the Lance/Water Shiro/Space aesthetics, so I went with Shiro taking Lance to the planetarium instead. I hope this is okay!! Tbh I've never been to a planetarium (I've been to an air and space museum but they are very different) so if the way I wrote the planetarium here is wrong...too bad lol. Maybe one day a cute boy with a scar on his face, white tuft of hair, and metal prosthetic will take me to the planetarium on a date. ;-;

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case you missed this randomly added detail that I only thought of sharing until after I'd posted another chapter :), I thought of a really cute song for the 6th chapter (aquarium date) called Shark by Oh Wonder and it's literally perfect for the story and for Shance and also it's just a cute song in general, so if you wanna take a listen, be my guest.
> 
> Also idk, if you want a song for this chapter, Ella Fitzgerald - Moonlight Serenade bc it's pretty and I was listening to it while writing this chapter and it kind of fits so ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ 
> 
> My chapter notes are getting increasingly longer, but I wanted to clarify with the last chapter notes, that yes, there will be angst coming, but there will be a happy ending, and it's not relationship related angst, so don't worry, they're not breaking up or anything (is that a spoiler?? whatever). 
> 
> LAST BUT NOT LEAST, I just need to pat myself on the back for all of the random research I've done for the past few chapters??? Things I've researched (in broad categories): what Shakespeare play "goodnight sweet prince" was from lol, Cuba, a cute name in Spanish for a child who wants to be a fish aka baby fish, Aquariums/Shark Exhibits, Shark Facts including Different Types of sharks and how big they are, how to put emojis in a fic/work skin (yes this counts, it took a long time), the boys' outfits??, Planetariums and How They Work, constellations and their positions in reference to each other, ETC. 
> 
> So yeah, any time it takes me a long time to upload you can probably bet it's either because I literally do not have time to write (like today and yesterday), or because I'm doing LITERAL research LOL
> 
> Anyway, thank you if you read this, I love you, I hope you enjoy, and if you read this whole chapter note leave me a comment saying you love me (or don't, it's your life). <3

Lance had promised he would wait, but that didn't mean he had to be happy about it. All week Lance had complained to his friends, who quickly grew tired of Lance's whining. They’d started to hope Wednesday would get there faster themselves.

Finally, though, Wednesday had come. Lance was up bright and early to get ready for the date, and when Shiro picked him up, unexpected feelings swelled inside him. The feeling of missing someone was washed away with the joy of being reunited.

“Hi,” Shiro said.

“Hi,” Lance giggled back. “Absence really does make the heart grow fonder.”

“That it does.”

Shiro smiled and took Lance’s hand. They held hands all the way to the planetarium. The car ride was mostly silent, other than a few hums and coos coming from each of the boys as they reveled in being together again.

As they walked in and the person at the front desk checked them in, Lance looked around at the huge building. The ceiling was high and there were decorative planets and spaceships hanging down.

“This is pretty much exactly like what I thought a planetarium would look like inside,” said Lance.

“Yeah, they definitely wanted to make sure you knew you were in the right place when you walked in,” Shiro joked. “We actually have some time before the next showing starts, so would you like to walk around a bit?”

“Sure!”

While they waited for their show time to start, they walked around, looking at plaques that told about the planets and spaceships that were hanging down. They walked by the gift shop and decided they would stop in after their show. There was even a little station where a few children were making crafts out of glitter and stickers. They walked up, and immediately Lance found a sticker of Saturn that said ‘If you liked it, then you should have put a ring on it!’ and he stuck it on Shiro’s prosthetic. Shiro, in turn, found a sticker of Earth that said ‘You’re outta this world!’ and put it on Lance’s cheek. Lance laughed about the placement, but did nothing to move it, so it stayed on his cheek.

After a while, the doors to the auditorium opened up. Lance noticed a lot of people walking out rather than walking in. In fact, no one was walking in, even after the last group had completely emptied the room. An usher walked by and placed a sign by the door that said “Private Screening.” Shiro guided Lance towards the door and pulled out a ticket to show the usher. The usher gestured for Shiro to come in, but stopped Lance as he started to follow.

"He's with me," Shiro said.

The usher apologized and moved aside. Lance followed Shiro inside and the usher shut the doors behind them.

"What's going on? Do you own this place? Are you secretly part of the mafia? Are you about to reveal that you're secretly a prince who has been hiding his identity so I wouldn't want you for your money?"

Shiro laughed and then responded.

"No, Lance. I'm not a prince or in the mafia. And I don't own this place either."

“But it's just us two?”

“Yup. I booked it especially so we could just enjoy it without anyone else. It’s more fun this way.”

“How on earth did you manage this? It must have cost you a lot.”

“Actually, the manager owes me a favor. I come here a lot and I’ve helped out with shows and other things quite a few times. So occasionally, he’ll let me have the room to myself. Or, in this case, to ourselves.”

“Ah, I see. So just how many dates have you won over by doing this?” Lance asked playfully.

“You’d be the first, actually.”

“Wait, really?”

“Yes, really. To be honest, I always thought that me coming here at all was kind of nerdy, so I never told anyone I’ve dated about it. Only Allura and my parents have come with me here. And now you.”

"Well, date-wise, I’m glad I could be your first,” Lance winked.

“A first of many for us, I hope.”

Lance hummed in agreement as they walked down the aisle of chairs.

"Oh, and about looking like a nerd… I literally dragged you to an aquarium and spouted shark facts at you for over an hour. Don’t worry, I’m just as much of a nerd as you are.”

“You know, you taking me to the aquarium made me want to bring you here in the first place. You showed me a place that was important to you, so I wanted to show you a place that was important to me."

"That's really sweet of you, Shiro." They smiled at each other as they sat down near the middle of the room. "Um, so why is this place important for you?"

“Well, my mom-“

Shiro was cut off by the show starting. The room got dark and a voice came on, making it where they couldn’t talk.

“I’ll tell you later,” Shiro said in Lance’s ear.

During the presentation, Lance noticed how Shiro was smiling. His heart swelled at the sight. Shiro seemed so happy in his element and Lance felt like he was seeing a new and wonderful side of the man next to him. When the constellations came up, Shiro started pointing out a few that he recognized.

“So, that’s the Big Dipper, obviously. That big one there is Hercules. There’s Orion over there. Your birthday is July, so…Leo? Leo is right there. And I’m Pisces, which is all the way… over… there…”

At one point, Lance couldn’t stand how close their hands were without touching, so he decided to just take hold of Shiro’s idle hand and hoped it would be okay. Shiro pulled his eyes away from the show for a moment to smile at Lance. He then looked back up, rubbing his thumb over Lance’s hand.

As the presentation came to an end, their hands were still enfolded. Lance glanced over at Shiro, who had brought his other hand up to his face, and saw him wipe a tear from his eye. He apparently noticed Lance staring at him, so he flashed him a smile, trying to act nonchalant.

“Were you crying?”

“…Maybe?”

“It’s okay if you were,” Lance smiled as they got up to leave. “No judgement here. ...Would it by chance have something to do with what you were going to tell me before the show?”

“Yes, actually.”

“What _were_ you going to tell me?” 

“Oh. Uh, well... My mother used to love coming here. She used to bring me when I was really young and she’d point out all the stars and constellations to me. She told me I could be anything I wanted to be, so I grew up wanting to be an astronaut. I studied really hard in grade school and learned all about space. I was planning on going to college for engineering and physical science. I even considered going into the Air Force to get the necessary pilot training. But then…uh…she died…my mom died. And I just didn’t... have the motivation anymore. What was the point of being an astronaut and seeing up close everything she taught me if she couldn’t see me do it? If I couldn’t even make her proud, you know? So I enlisted in the Army right out of high school. I’m still not really sure why. I think maybe I was running from my emotions and figured that the Army would train me not to feel. It was kind of the opposite of what I needed, if I’m being honest. But yeah, anyway, coming here reminds me of her, but it’s also something that’s such a big part of my life now that I can’t give it up. Not completely. I’m not sure I’d ever want to go up in space like I used to. But I can stare at every corner of the galaxy here, and pretend she’s still with me.”

Shiro finally looked up at the man next to him and he quietly gasped. Lance had stopped walking and was staring at him, tears rolling down his face.

“Lance-! A-are you okay?”

“Shit, dude,” Lance’s voice sounded broken, like he’d been sobbing for hours. “I’m so sorry. I mean, if I lost my mom, I wouldn’t know what to do. And you... You’ve been through so much, I just…I’m so sorry."

Lance hadn't meant to cry, Shiro didn’t need his pity and he knew that, but he could understand how much Shiro's mother had meant to him, and if Lance had been in his situation... He wanted to cry just thinking about it. A tear rolled down over the sticker still on Lance's face, and Shiro gently wiped it away.

"I'm sorry, I don’t know why I’m crying.”

"It's alright, Lance." Shiro's voice was soft. "I'm sorry I made you cry."

"What? No, it's not your fault. You don't need to apologize for that." Lance wiped his eyes with the palms of his hands. "Can...can I hug you?"

"Of course."

Lance slinked his arms around Shiro’s waist and buried his head in the man’s chest. Shiro returned the hug and wrapped his arms over Lance’s back.

“No matter what, I know your mom would be proud of you,” Lance said, leaning up to whisper in Shiro’s ear.

He hadn’t realized what an impact his words would make, but they had apparently triggered something in Shiro, because he started crying as well. He pulled Lance tighter and hid his face in his shoulder as his body shook silently.

They stood like that for a few more moments, both knowing full well that the doors to the auditorium would open at any second. Thankfully, Shiro quickly lifted his head up and pulled back from Lance a bit to wipe his face on his shirt. He gave Lance a quick kiss and dropped his arms completely, moving to Lance’s side to take his hand as the doors opened.

“Thank you,” he said.

“You’re welcome.” Lance gave Shiro’s hand a squeeze.

\--

“Let’s get matching keychains like those weird couples do,” Lance said, picking up two zodiac constellation keychains in the planetarium gift store.

“Are we a couple?” Shiro responded, taking the Pisces keychain Lance had handed him.

“I-uhm…are we?”

“Do you want to be?”

“Only if you do,” Lance said quietly, suddenly self-conscious.

“Then I guess we’re a couple.”

Shiro walked off towards the cash register, grabbing the other keychain that Lance had put down in embarrassment. Lance followed him, smiling to himself and being utterly smitten.

\--

“I really need to get my own car,” Lance said as they pulled up to his house. “Not that I don’t enjoy having you drive me around everywhere,” Shiro stuck his tongue out at the words, “but now I need some keys to go along with this.” He held up the keychain that Shiro had bought for him. Shiro’s was already attached to his car keys. “I have a bit of money in savings for it, but I need to keep saving up. And maybe actually find a car I want.”

“I’ll help you look for one. And if you really need one right away, I could pitch in and-“

“No.”

“What-?“

“No! Stop trying to be my sugar daddy,” Lance laughed.

“What if I want to be?” Shiro wiggled his eyebrows at the boy next to him.

Lance hit Shiro’s arm playfully as the older boy’s laughter filled the car.

“I had a lot of fun today. Thank you. For everything. Also, I’m going to kiss you in the car so that we don’t have a repeat of last time.”

“Fine by me,” Shiro leaned over and let Lance kiss him.

“So, does this mean I get to call you my actual boyfriend now?”

Lance saw Shiro’s eyes widen at his question, and was about to take it back when Shiro blushed.

“Y-yes. Yeah. Boyfriends. You’re my boyfriend… I like that.”

“Me too.”

Lance felt all mushy inside and he wanted to make a joke about it. But he also really wanted to kiss his _boyfriend_ again. So he did.


	9. Wait For Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I feel like I need to put some warnings on this chapter. There is some vaguely nsfw stuff (not nsfw enough that it needs a full tag, but maybe just a chapter warning), and then some past sexual abuse mentions towards the middle. If you want to stop reading and skip a few parts, I'll tell you some good stop/skip to points.
> 
> NSFW-ish: stop at "... touch their heads together and then went back to the movie." skip to "'Shit,' Lance whispered."
> 
> Sexual Abuse Ment: stop at "Lance gave Shiro a look of confusion and concern." skip to: "'Are you okay?'"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Eloquent, Nice, Postive, Correct Grammar and Punctuation
> 
> Chapter Notes: lol idfk
> 
> SPEAKING OF, READ CHAPTER SUMMARY FOR WARNINGS
> 
> lol anyway, there's.....a lot in this chapter and i want to apologize. <3 hope u enjoy also pls read end notes for more important info <3

**Lance:**

i think i finally figured out the perfect name for you in my phone

**Boyfriend (Black Heart ):**

Oh, did you change it again? What is it now?

**Lance:**

[Image Sent]

(Black Heart ) (Blue Heart )

**Boyfriend (Black Heart ):**

Haha, cute. I love it.

Why the black heart, though?

Do you think I have a black heart? :(

**Lance:**

LOL no no nothing like that

the black heart reminds me of you is all

i mean half the time i've seen you you've been wearing something black. if i didn't know you liked purple, i'd say it's your favorite color

but also the black heart is different than the other heart emojis

it's special

like you

**Boyfriend (Black Heart ):**

And you called me a sap.

**Lance:**

what can i say? i'm truly a romantic

**Boyfriend (Black Heart ):**

Oh sure, yeah. Definitely.

**Lance:**

ugh shut up!! i can read your sarcasm through text :P

**Boyfriend (Black Heart ):**

Hahaha, okay okay.

Are you doing anything today?

**Lance:**

on this fine thursday? nope lol

**Boyfriend (Black Heart ):**

Do you want to come over? My dad is still away on his business trip and I'm starting to feel lonely in this house by myself.

**Lance:**

uhm...

**Boyfriend (Black Heart ):**

Oh shit, that probably sounded really suggestive. I just mean, well, I'm baking today and it's always a lot more fun with someone else to help. Also I want to spend more time with you. And my dad is still gone and it's really quiet in the house so I kind of wanted company. But if coming over is too big of a step too soon, then it's okay, we can wait.

**Lance:**

omg you're rambling how cute

i'd love to come over and help you "bake" ;)

**Boyfriend (Black Heart ):**

I shouldn't have asked. :P

**Lance:**

nooooooo! i want to come! it'll be fun. you'll be Gordon Ramsay and i'll be your protege

now THAT'S a fanfic right there

i'm joking!!

seriously, i'd love to come over. i wanna spend more time with you too (Black Heart )

**Boyfriend (Black Heart ):**

Okay. I'll be at your house in a few minutes to pick you up, then.

**Lance:**

can't wait :)

 

\--

 

"Whoah, this is your house?" Lance said as they pulled into Shiro's driveway.

"Yup!"

"It's a lot bigger than Pidge's. Are you sure this is the same neighborhood?"

"Yes, I'm sure," Shiro chuckled. "The houses over here are a little bigger than the houses where Pidge lives. Uh, is that her real name?"

"Pidge? Nah, her real name is Katie."

"Katie?" Shiro thought of the girl Allura had a crush on, but figured it was just a coincidence.

"Yeah. I guess she just doesn't like that name. She says it doesn't fit her as well. Also her brother called her Pidge when she was younger, so I think she just stuck with it."

"Aw, that's sweet."

"Yeah, but don't tell her that. She'd never admit to being sweet towards her brother."

Shiro laughed as he unlocked the front door and gestured for Lance to go in front of him.

The front hallway lead to the living room, but the kitchen was at the front of the house, the doorway a few feet to the right of the front door.

"What are we baking?" Lance asked, walking into the kitchen.

"Usually when my dad leaves for a trip, I'll bake him some dessert to come home to. So today I thought we could make an apple pie."

"That's so cute. Of course you can bake pies. You'd make the perfect house-husband."

Shiro laughed and started getting out ingredients.

"Hey," Shiro said, giving Lance a bowl.

"Hey," Lance smiled back.

"Thanks for not making fun of me for still living with my dad."

"What?"

"Well, I know it might be kind of weird for someone my age to still be living at home. It's just a lot easier for both of us to have each other to take care of. Not that I need to be taken care of, but-"

"Don't sweat it, dude. I get it. The only reason I'm not still living at home is because I needed to get out of a house where I shared a bathroom with all my siblings _and_ my parents. Well, and another reason, but..."

"What other reason?"

"Uh...heh. The first time I brought home a guy, my dad kind of...threw a fit. He didn't want me there, 'poisoning my siblings.' My mother thankfully talked him into letting me stay, but from then on, there was just too much tension. So one day I decided I couldn't live there anymore and moved in with Keith and Hunk."

"I'm so sorry," Shiro touched Lance's arm.

"Hey, it's in the past. My dad and I have a better relationship now, but I've told them that I couldn't live with them anymore. It hurt my mom to hear that, but she understands. I still go over there sometimes, but...I don't know. It's still kind of weird."

There was a short pause as both boys let the words sink in.

"What about your dad?" Lance continued. "Does he know you're gay?"

"We've never really talked about it. My dad is a fairly private person. Very 'if it's your business, it's _your_ business' type of guy. I mean I haven't exactly hidden anything from him, and normally I can talk to him about anything, but this just feels different. And if I mention it, I'm honestly a little scared of what might happen. I haven't brought anyone home to meet him yet, to let him know. But it's not like he's asked about it either."

"One day you might have to tell him."

"I know."

"If I'm still around when that happens, I'll stay with you while you tell him. If you want."

"I'm not planning on getting rid of you for a while, so you might have to keep that promise," Shiro smiled.

"I will."

 

\--

 

They got to baking, Lance cutting apples and mixing the ingredients for the inside while Shiro made the crust.

"Hey, the apples are done-!" Lance turned around to a face full of flour. Shiro had thrown flour in his face. "Pah!" He spat it out of his mouth. "Really?"

"Yes, really."

"You don't know what you've just started."

"Oh, I think I do."

Slowly, Lance set down the bowl of cut apples on the counter. He then shot out his hand to where Shiro was working on the dough and got a hand full of flour. He started to throw it at Shiro, when the man threw more in his face.

"That's not fair!" Lance wiped his face with his free hand.

"Who said it's supposed to be fair?"

Shiro laughed, receiving his own face full of flour in response.

The pie had been nearly forgotten as the two boys started throwing flour at each other, making a mess in the process. Neither cared until they were both mostly covered in white and giggling as Shiro held Lance from behind, stopping his hands from throwing any more.

"This is a fucking mess," Lance said as he inspected the kitchen.

"Same."

They laughed again and Lance turned around in Shiro's arms, placing a kiss to his powdery lips.

 

\--

 

Once they, and the kitchen, were sufficiently cleaned up, Shiro put the pie together and placed it in the oven.

"Now what?" Lance asked.

"Now, we wait." Shiro walked into the living room and sat on the couch. "Do you wanna watch something? We have Netflix?"

"Sure." 

Lance sat down next to Shiro, snuggling up to his left side. He watched Shiro look through movies, finally settling on one that Lance said yes to without paying attention. He was too fixated on Shiro's face, and more specifically his lips.

As the movie started, Lance leaned his chin on Shiro's shoulder, pretending to be watching the movie but really only paying attention to Shiro. The older boy tilted his head slightly to touch their heads together and then went back to the movie.

Lance couldn't stop staring at his mouth and the soft skin on his face and neck. He wanted to see just how soft Shiro's skin was and maybe leave a few marks along it as well. Slowly, so as to not raise suspicion, he started kissing Shiro's clothed shoulder up to his exposed neck. Shiro obviously noticed and hummed in response.

"What are you doing?" Shiro said, his voice low and teasing.

"Nothing," Lance responded in between slow kisses.

He trailed up Shiro's neck, peppering him with soft kisses, and Shiro tilted his head to the side as Lance kissed along his jaw. Lance's warm hand came up to caress the other side of Shiro's face, turning his head to where Lance could kiss his lips. At that point, Shiro was softly moaning and Lance knew he'd got him, movie be damned.

Shiro's body turned to face Lance so he could have easier access. They shared kisses for a while, taking it deeper than they had before. Lance suddenly broke from Shiro's mouth to kiss down Shiro's neck again, this time placing kisses around his collarbone. He'd been dreaming about kissing that collarbone since the day they'd met. A couple of short breathy whimpers told Lance that he was doing something right and he gently pushed on Shiro's chest, the man obeying his request to lay down on the couch. His teeth nipped at the bare skin on Shiro's collarbone and the older boy gasped as Lance marked him. He bit the skin there and then placed a sweet kiss in the same spot to ask forgiveness.

"Hnng, Lance-!"

Lance's heart almost jumped out of his chest when he heard Shiro's voice say his name like that. He wondered what other sounds he could get his boyfriend to make. He started to leave another mark, hoping for a similar noise, when Shiro wrapped his arms around him and pulled him up into another kiss.

Lance felt like he was melting as Shiro bit his bottom lip. He heard himself moan in response. His whole body was on fire. Shiro's hold on him made him feel safe, warm, but there was a feeling like he couldn't get close enough. As if their positions weren't close enough already. He was laying on top of Shiro and he could feel the man's... _everything_. He was feeling bold, as always, and decided to help out both of their situations by rolling his hips against the man's underneath him. Shiro's moan filled the room and Lance was about to do it again when Shiro stopped kissing him and tensed up.

"Shit," Lance whispered. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that."

"No, no it's okay. It's not- you didn't-"

"Netflix and chill the fuck out, Lance," Lance told himself as he pushed up off of Shiro.

They both sat up, and Lance started to move away, but Shiro grabbed his hand, pulling him back to sit in his lap.

"Listen, it's not your fault. It's me. I'm sorry. I thought I could- I mean. It's been- I haven't..."

"Ohh. I understand. You're a virgin, right? That's okay. No shame."

"Uh...in a way, I suppose I am, yes. In another way, no."

Lance gave Shiro a look of confusion and concern.

"It..." Shiro continued. "It wasn't my choice."

"Oh...fuck." Realization hit Lance like a freight train. "Wh-"

"After all the surgeries, I thought there was no hope. I thought I'd never find anyone, that I was too messed up and disfigured to fall in love with. I went on a few dates with some really skeezy guys, hell I even dated a _girl_ that asked me out. I was kind of desperate. And then I met this one guy. He seemed really sweet at first. He didn't treat me like I was less than, didn't act like how I looked was a problem. I found myself falling very hard very fast. But, after a few weeks, we still hadn't...consummated our relationship and I could tell it was bothering him. One day he asked me to go to a college house party with him, so I did. We both got drunk, but he was a lot worse off than I was. At one point, he'd taken me upstairs and started yelling at me. Saying that he was doing me a favor, saying how he should just break up with me because of how much of a tease I'd been. ...I was too drunk to stop him."

Shiro quieted for a moment, obviously trying to contain himself, before he continued.

"We still dated for a while after that, until Allura pulled me out of there. I stopped dating him, and dating altogether, after that."

"Oh shit, Shiro. I had no idea. I should have asked. I wasn't thinking. I'm so sorry."

"It's okay. It's not your fault. Like you said, you didn't know. And I mean, I kind of went with it. I thought I could do it, but when you...when we...it just brought up a lot of stuff and I realized I couldn't. Not right now."

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I'm fine. Thank you. For stopping, and for being understanding. I want to, I just...it will take a while for me to get used to all of this. You're the first person I've dated in...a long time. I'd originally wanted to take it slow, but obviously it hasn't really gone that slowly, huh? I mean, don't get me wrong, I am glad we are where we are right now. I wouldn't have had it any other way. But I think it will take time for me to be ready for anything more."

"Okay. No rush, then. I want you to be comfortable."

"Well, I don't want to make you wait-"

"I told you before that I'd wait for you and I meant it. Even now. No matter what happens, no matter how I feel, no matter how long, I will wait for you. No more springing random heavy makeout sessions on you without asking. We're a team now, and we have to both be fully ready before we do anything."

"Won't it bother you to have to wait for me to catch up? You might get bored."

"It won't bother me at all. I care about you, and you make me happy the way we are now. I want to make you happy, and if that means no sex for a while, or even no sex ever, then it's not even an issue. It's not that important to me. You're more important. So I will wait. However long it takes, I will wait for you. Besides, I'm never bored when I'm with you. We have lots of other things to do together, anyway. Like, baking pies."

Lance smiled at Shiro. He meant every word. Shiro smiled back and put an arm around Lance, placing a chaste kiss on his forehead.

"Thank you. That means a lot. You are so special to me, you know?"

"Oh, stop it," Lance teased. He kissed Shiro on the cheek. "You're special to me too."

They sat there for a minute, Shiro tracing his hand along Lance's back and Lance twirling the white tuft of hair over Shiro's forehead around his fingers.

"Hey," Shiro said, breaking their silence. "Speaking of pies, how long has ours been in the oven?"

"I thought you set a timer."

"What? No, you were supposed to set a timer."

They both stared at each other for a moment and then raced to the kitchen.

 

They'd pulled the pie out just in time, the crust only a little burnt.

"It's perfect!"

"I wouldn't exactly say _perfect_. It's got some rough edges. But the inside is probably good."

"It's like you," Lance touched Shiro's prosthetic gently. "It maybe has some rough edges, but the inside is good, and that's what matters the most. It's perfect."

The look Shiro gave Lance was not one the younger boy had expected. It was so soft and kind, and filled with so much adoration and caring that had Lance weak at the knees. Thankfully, his boyfriend had an arm wrapped around him, holding him close.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i can relate to Shiro because i, too, wonder if they are moving too fast and none of this makes sense. (although i wrote a spideypool fic where they kissed the first day they met and (almost) got married exactly a year later sooooo.....it's a step LOL)
> 
> i'm sorry for those of u that like smut thinking u we're gonna get it. i...cannot write smut. it's not who i am. this is the closest i've ever gotten. maybe one day i'll be able to do it? but hey like Shiro, give me time.
> 
> also, i just want to say that in this fic, Shiro is demisexual. i'd been thinking about it for a while, and especially since it fits with the chapter, i figured i'd go ahead and just make it official.
> 
> i know you're all wondering "why the fuck do you keep having so much happen to Shiro you monster" my answer is: y'all owe me for Langst
> 
> good news: YAY A LOT OF ANGST IS OVER AND THEY ARE SO MUCH FARTHER IN THEIR RELATIONSHIP!!!!
> 
> bad news: there's more angst coming lol!!!!!!!! (i PROMISE it's really not that bad. some might even say this chapter is worse. who knows)
> 
> please someone enjoy the "netflix and chill the fuck out" line because i enjoyed it a lot
> 
> does anyone actually read the chapter notes? do any of you actually think i'm funny or do you just humor me and go "ugh she's talking again" i could write anything here and y'all probably wouldn't read it. Dumbledore dies. Hah. Spoiled.


	10. Introduce Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A pretty short chapter is ahead! We're gonna start to get into some new stuff, so this is kind of a transition. But!!! some important stuff happens in this chapter as well! Lance is introduced to a couple new things. Hope you enjoy!

Shiro woke up on Friday morning remembering the day before. Lance had come over and they'd made a pie, then made _out_. He smiled as he stretched and got out of bed. He pulled on a clean shirt, leaving his pajama pants on, and walked to the guest bedroom.

Lance was still asleep, snuggled up into the blankets. He'd stayed the night, and even though Shiro offered his own bed, Lance insisted on giving Shiro some space after the previous day's events and allow them to have more time to take things slow. So he slept in the guest bedroom.

Shiro walked up to the bed and saw the boy, his hair a mess and snoring softly as he slept. Shiro still thought he looked beautiful. He put his hand on Lance's head and gently brushed the hair from his eyes. Lance groaned softly, starting to wake up from the touch of Shiro's hand on his face.

"Hey," Shiro said softly. "Did you sleep well?"

"Mmhhhhmmmm," Lance replied, his eyes still shut, though he was awake. The boy stretched and nuzzled his head into Shiro's hand like a cat. "Good morning," he said once he opened his eyes.

"Good morning. Would you like some breakfast?" He continued to play with Lance's hair.

"Mmhmm. What do you have?"

"Well, we have cereal, toast...that's about it. I could make you some eggs if you like?"

"I bet you make good eggs." Lance closed his eyes again.

"Hey, don't fall back asleep on me."

"But I'm sleeeeeeepy," he said, drawing out the last word.

Shiro moved his hand behind Lance's head and pulled up slightly. He leaned over and pressed his lips on Lance's forehead.

"Mmmm," Lance sighed. "That's not gonna help me wake up."

Shiro took his words as a challenge and started kissing his face all over in quick little pecks.

"Get up, sleepyhead," Shiro said, continuing to pester his boyfriend.

"Okay, okay. I'm awake."

Lance giggled and raised his arms, pulling Shiro closer to him. He let Shiro hold him up as he leaned up and pressed their lips together.

"Your breath stinks," Lance said.

Shiro furrowed his brows at him for a moment, and then without notice, moved away, letting Lance fall back onto the bed. He walked out of the room, leaving Lance to wallow in the bed alone.

"Wait! Come back!" Lance whined.

Suddenly, Shiro came back into the room and picked up Lance, throwing him over his shoulder and carrying him out of the room.

"Stoooop!" Lance laughed. "Put me down!"

"Nope! Not until I'm satisfied."

"When will you be satisfied?"

"I will never be satisfied!"

"Is that a Hamilton reference?"

"Maybe!"

Shiro started spinning, Lance holding on for dear life and giggling uncontrollably.

"You're a heathen," Lance said as Shiro walked them to the kitchen.

Finally, he set Lance down in the kitchen.

"You know, I was actually starting to enjoy it. The view is great down there. Plus it was kinda hot that you could just pick me up like that."

Shiro rolled his eyes playfully and got the eggs out of the fridge.

"How do you like your eggs, dear?" Shiro said the last word sarcastically, ignoring Lance's comments completely.

"I don't actually like eggs that much. Surprise me."

"Only if you'll actually eat them."

"I'll eat them because you made them. And if I don't, you can have 'em."

"Fine." Shiro sat the egg carton on the counter and moved to find the salt and pepper, but was stopped halfway by his boyfriend.

"I wasn't joking when I said the view was great." Lance slinked his arms around Shiro's waist and squeezed his butt, causing the older boy to jump. "Sorry." Lance quickly took his hands away. "Is that too much?"

"It's fine."

Shiro kissed his boyfriend and moved away to get the salt and pepper. They were behind Lance, so when he turned around, he smacked Lance on the ass in return.

"Hey! You gotta be careful doing that," Lance winked.

 

Shiro made the eggs with Lance hanging on him the whole time. He should have won an award for not burning either of them in the process. 

 

\--

 

"Okay you have officially converted me to liking eggs. Did you use magic when you made them? These are so good," Lance said, shoving another mountain of eggs into his mouth.

"Thank you. All you need to make good eggs are butter, salt, and pepper."

"I don't believe you, but I'll let it slide for now."

They stood next to each other in the kitchen, neither making it to the table before their hunger got the best of them. When they both finished, they put their dishes in the sink.

"Thank you for coming over, Mr. McClain," Shiro said, pulling Lance towards him.

"Thank you for having me, Mr. Shirogane."

They shared a few small kisses, enjoying the warmth and slight egg-y taste of each other.

"Well, not yet anyway."

Lance's laughter shot out of him at his boyfriend's insinuation. Their arms were still around each other as Shiro brought a hand up to stroke Lance's hair. He leaned in to kiss him again when they heard the front door open.

"Son?" a voice called out.

There was no hesitation in how quickly they moved away from each other.

"H-hey, dad!" Shiro stammered out, trying to act non-suspicious. "What are you doing home so early?"

A man that looked almost identical to Shiro, though smaller and with more wrinkles and less muscles (also minus the scars and prosthetic), walked into the kitchen.

"We had an extra day off, and I wanted to get back home to my boy," Shiro's dad said, hugging his son. "Who is this?" he asked when he saw Lance standing behind Shiro.

"This is Lance. He's my...friend." The two boys shared a glance. "He helped me make a pie for you last night. It was late when it finished, so I let him stay in the guest room. Is that okay?"

Shiro's dad gave Lance a once-over, his face showing no emotion, as if he was trying to see inside Lance's soul. He then smiled and moved towards Lance to greet him.

"Of course it is. Hi Lance, nice to meet you."

"Hi!" Lance held out his hand, but Shiro's dad moved into his space, giving him a hug.

"In my house, we hug, not shake hands," the older man said.

Lance automatically turned into his normal upbeat self, showing no sign of awkwardness at the situation. For that, Shiro was grateful.

 

\--

 

"Sorry about that," Shiro said, walking with Lance to his car. "I hadn't expected him to be home today."

"It's okay! He seemed really nice. I'm glad he liked the pie," Lance said as they got into the car and started to drive to his house.

"I'm also sorry about not introducing you as my boyfriend. I panicked."

"Hey, it's okay. I understand. You don't have to tell him right away."

"You're the best."

"So are you."

 

When they got to Lance's house, Shiro gave him a long kiss goodbye.

"What was that for?" Lance asked, a dumb smile on his face.

"For being you."

"The cheeeeeeeeese!" Lance laughed. "You're so cheesy!"

"Would you have me any other way?"

"No, I would not."

Lance pecked Shiro's lips once more and got out of the car.

"I'll text you, okay?"

"Sounds good."

Shiro smiled to himself as Lance shut the door and walked inside. He was so happy. Lance made him so happy. He sat there for a few minutes, letting the past two days settle in. Finally, he started to go, when his phone buzzed.

 

**1 new message from Lance (Blue Heart )**

 

He opened his phone and saw the message.

 

**Lance (Blue Heart ):**

(Blue Heart )

 

Shiro's heart swelled. It was just a blue heart, but it meant so much more than that. It was Lance's blue heart. Before he pulled away, he typed a response, hoping that it conveyed the same feelings to Lance what his message had conveyed to Shiro.

 

**Shiro:**

(Black Heart )

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> someone brought to my attention that if you don't have a device that supports it, you may not be able to see Shiro's last text, it's just a black heart. agh that means that you may not be able to see the black hearts on any of the other chapters and i am sorry for that ;-; i don't know how to fix it on your device <3
> 
> the egg thing is actually based on true events. my bff makes the best eggs and she got me to like them because of how she makes them. but she'll tell you exactly what Shiro said, all you need is butter, salt, and pepper.
> 
> yes, Shiro slinging him over his shoulder was based from canon in the show lol
> 
> don't yell at me for keeping the last name as McClain. y'all already know he's cuban in this fic, his last name doesn't change that. i personally headcanon him as mixed, where his dad is white, hence the name McClain. i don't have any authority to change his name, and neither do you. so i'm gonna call him what his canonical name is. that's just how i do. so if you don't like it, i'm sorry. you already know my stance.


	11. Help Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shiro is moving back to college for the school year! Lance helps!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> three chapters in 24 hours???? crazy, i know! listen, it's my day off. i don't have anything else to do, so ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ 
> 
> guess who did more research y'all ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
> 
> sorry for another short chapter, it really helps the flow of the story if the scenes that go together stay together, hence short chapters. hope you enjoy! <3

They dated through the rest of summer, going out, spending time together, kissing a little. Shiro even helped Lance find a car he wanted that was right in his price range.

"Now I can visit you whenever I want," Lance had said.

As summer came to an end, Shiro had to leave to go the 3 hours upstate to school. They promised each other they would stay communicated; one of them would drive to see the other every couple of weekends.

 

Lance definitely didn't cry as he helped Shiro put the rest of the boxes into his car to take to college.

"Don't cry," Shiro said, walking up to Lance and hugging him. "I'll be back for Christmas sooner than you think. And besides, I'll see you in a couple of weeks anyway. They're having homecoming and I was thinking maybe you could come with me."

"Yeah?" Lance said, wiping his face. "Your college has homecoming? Mine doesn't even have a football team. I mean, it's a community college, but still."

Shiro laughed softly at his boyfriend's words, his heart hurting that he had to leave so soon.

"It's more of a sorority thing, but yeah. I'll tell you more about it when I get more details."

"Okay."

"Just wait for me. Will you do that?"

"You know I will."

They hugged again, holding each other close and never wanting to let go.

"Your dad will be coming home to tell you goodbye soon. You'd better kiss me now."

Shiro smiled and kissed him, holding him close.

"I know it's not that long," Lance said when they pulled away, "but I'm really gonna miss you, Shiro. I-I..."

Lance looked like he had something else to say, but he shut his mouth and smiled sadly at Shiro instead. Shiro raised an eyebrow, but he knew Lance had probably already dropped the matter in his head. If it was really that important, Lance would tell him eventually.

His dad pulled up not long after that, just getting home from work. Shiro hugged his father and said goodbye, and then he faced Lance.

"Goodbye, Lance. Thanks for helping me load my car," Shiro said, trying to sound like there was absolutely no other reason whatsoever for Lance to be there.

Lance nodded in response and Shiro could see that the boy was trying to hold it together. It made him want to start crying too. He hugged him, short and platonic, feeling way too impersonal.

"Bye, Takashi," Lance whispered before they pulled apart.

Shiro had heard Lance call him by his first name before, but it was so intimate in that moment, so gentle and unexpected. It spoke feelings that needed to be said, a hidden promise, and it hit Shiro deep inside.

His eyes started watering as he walked to his car, looking back at Lance and his dad, waving to both of them. Then he got in, and drove away.

 

"Thank you for helping my son," Shiro's dad said to Lance after Shiro drove off.

Lance pulled himself together quickly and took a couple steps towards the old man near him.

"No problem, sir. Anytime."

Lance held out his hand, but then dropped it as Mr. Shirogane gave him a look.

"Right, I forgot."

Lance went in for a hug instead, and the old man hugged him back.

"Seriously. Thank you," he said in Lance's ear.

When they moved apart, he looked into Lance's eyes, trying to tell him something that Lance didn't catch. Lance nodded his head, trying to understand.

"Uh, if you ever need anything while he's gone, let me know. I'll come over."

"You're too kind, son. I'm so glad my boy has a friend like you."

"Heh. Yeah. Me too."

 

They went their separate ways, Lance only wanting to go home and cry.

 

\--

 

**Lance (Blue Heart ):**

how's my university guy? you settled in yet?

**Shiro:**

Yeah, I'm all set up. I have a couple more boxes to unpack though. It sure would be nice to have a handsome, strong man here to help me...

**Lance (Blue Heart ):**

oh i can call Hunk if you want, he'd love to help

**Shiro:**

I meant you! Silly. :P

**Lance (Blue Heart ):**

i know :P

i'd love to come help, but classes start the day after tomorrow for me and if i come down now, i won't wanna come back

**Shiro:**

I know. I miss you already. (Black Heart )

**Lance (Blue Heart ):**

i miss you too (Blue Heart )

have you heard anything about when homecoming is yet? if it's not for a while i just might have to come up and see you sooner.

**Shiro:**

I haven't heard anything yet. I haven't really left the dorm yet.

**Lance (Blue Heart ):**

aww why not? you okay?

**Shiro:**

Yeah I'm fine. My arm hurts. I think I pulled something while I was moving in.

**Lance (Blue Heart ):**

i should have come down and helped you :(

**Shiro:**

It's okay babe, no worries. I just need to let it rest for a bit. I already took my prosthetic off. I think later tonight I'll soak it.

**Lance (Blue Heart ):**

wait, it's your prosthetic arm that hurts?

**Shiro:**

Yeah, like my stump. You know.

**Lance (Blue Heart ):**

i didn't know that's what you call it

**Shiro:**

Technically it's a transhumeral amputation, since it's an above the elbow amputation. Transhumeral means "across the humerus" which is where my arm is cut off at. Most people don't know what the fuck amputees are talking about if we say that, however, so we just call it a stump.

**Lance (Blue Heart ):**

...okay yeah, so your stump hurts.

take it easy okay? i don't want you to strain yourself.

i'll come up there and give you a massage if you need it.

**Shiro:**

I thought class was starting so you can't come up?

**Lance (Blue Heart ):**

well yeah but i miss you a whole lot and now you're hurting and i wanna take care of you ;-;

**Shiro:**

Haha, I'll be okay, I promise. I'll take it easy.

Hey babe, I'll talk to you later. I gotta go. There's a dorm meeting that I have to attend.

**Lance (Blue Heart ):**

okay. be safe, have fun, don't let the other kids bully you (Blue Heart )

**Shiro:**

Thanks. :P I won't. (Black Heart )

 

Shiro got ready to go to the meeting. He considered leaving his prosthetic in the room, knowing he should let his arm rest, but he also didn't want everyone to see him without an arm. He put it back on, ignoring the soreness as it pressed against his skin, and left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> at the beginning when i was writing all i could think of was "Rose Tyler, I-"
> 
> it's funny because the chapter title is what happens in the story, but perhaps it's also a cry for help???? hmm?????
> 
> ~foreshadowing~


	12. Answer Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I...am sorry

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> anyone else picturing Shiro's dad as a small old Japanese man or is that just me?
> 
> (boutonnières are the little flowers men wear on their lapels at weddings and dances and such, in case you were wondering)

It had been a few weeks since the start of school. Lance had already come down to see Shiro once because he couldn't stand not seeing him in person. Homecoming was in few days and Lance was excited. He'd already picked out matching suits for him and Shiro, a black tie for his boyfriend and a blue one for himself. He was trying to decide if they should wear boutonnières or not, but his boyfriend wouldn't text him back.

 

**Lance:**

should we wear boutonnières or not?

hey

i know you're busy but this is important

babe

i mean it doesn't really matter either way but i already got them so i need to know if i should take them back

i need to knoooowwww what you thhiiiinnk

ugh okay you have to wear yours now because you won't answer

ughhhgghh answer me!!!!!

 

Lance plopped on his bed, defeated. He'd been trying for over an hour. There was no way Shiro was that busy that he couldn't answer. Maybe Lance was just being needy. But he _needed_ his boyfriend to answer.

 

It was 10 PM and Shiro still hadn't answered. Lance tried again, thinking maybe he just hadn't checked his phone yet.

 

**Lance:**

heeeyyy

Shirooooo

Takashiiiiiii

are you ignoring me :(

omg are you mad at me or something?

i'm sorry for whatever i did!!

please answer :(

 

Lance was starting to worry, but he figured whatever it was, Shiro would probably get back to him in the morning.

 

\--

 

Lance checked his phone when he woke up. Nothing. The only message he had was from Hunk asking him if he'd take the trash out.

Lance got up and took out the trash, and then tried to contact Shiro again. This time, he called Shiro's phone.

 

_Hey, it's Shiro. I guess I'm busy right now, so leave a message and I'll call you back!_

 

"UGHH!!"

Keith, who'd heard Lance from the hallway, peeked his head into his room.

"What's up?"

"Shiro won't answer his phone."

"Maybe he's busy," Keith said, eating something that vaguely looked like peanut butter.

"He didn't answer all day yesterday, either."

"Oh, shit. Maybe he went on one of those weird nature hikes where he doesn't have his phone. Or maybe he's climbing a mountain and there's no reception."

"You really aren't helping, Keith," Lance said, irritated.

"Sorry, I'll leave you alone to your relationship problems," Keith said and walked out of Lance's room.

"We're not having relationship problems!" Lance called after him.

He threw his pillow at Keith, missing him and instead hitting the door and shutting it. He and Keith might have been friends, but they got on each other's nerves more often than not.

"He's just busy," Lance told himself.

 

Lance was glad he didn't have any classes today, so he could sit around and wait for Shiro to get back to him. He texted and called him over and over, more worried than needy at this point.

 

_Hey, it's Shiro. I guess I'm busy right now, so leave a message and I'll call you back!_

 

"Ugh, no you won't!"

Lance let his hand with his phone fall down to his side and covered his eyes with his other arm. He'd been laying there all day. He'd called Shiro more times than he could remember. With a groan, he brought his phone back up to his face and hit call.

 

"Hello?" a voice answered on the other end.

"Hey, Pidge. Glad _someone's_ answering."

"What's going on, Lance? You okay?"

"Shiro hasn't answered his phone at all in the past two days. I'm not sure if I should be angry or worried."

"Did he tell you that he would be doing something where he couldn't have his phone?"

"No."

"Does he ever take a long time to text back?"

"Not this long."

"Hmm. Maybe you _should_ be worried then."

"Oh, great. Thanks. You were supposed to tell me not to worry!"

"Sorry! I'm just trying to help!"

"I know. I just... I don't know what to do. Should I drive to his house and see if his dad knows what's going on?"

"Yeah! That's a good idea."

"Okay."

"Hey, don't worry, okay? I'm sure it's nothing."

"Thanks, Pidge."

"No prob. Now go find your man!"

"Alright. Bye."

 

Lance hung up the phone and pulled himself out of bed. He yelled a goodbye to Keith and walked out of the house.

 

The drive to Shiro's wasn't very long, but Lance's growing anxiety made it feel like it was taking years. When he finally got to Shiro's he pulled into the driveway. Shiro's dad's car wasn't there, but he figured it was probably in the garage. He walked to the front door and rang the doorbell. After a few minutes, there was no answer, and Lance really started to panic. He banged on the door, and called for Shiro and his dad to no avail. He had about given up all hope when a familiar car drove up next to his.

"Lance?" Mr. Shirogane called out to him as he got out of his car.

"Hey! I'm sorry about showing up to your house like this. I've been trying to get ahold of Shiro-"

Lance was cut off at the old man hugging him.

"Oh-! Hey there, sir. Uh, well Shiro hasn't answered in two days. I was getting kind of worried. Have you heard anything?"

"Lance... We've been trying to get ahold of you too. Shiro's in the hospital."

"What?" Lance blinked. He hadn't heard that right. Right?

"He's been having problems with his amputated arm for a few weeks."

"Yeah, but I thought that he was just sore from move-in."

"So did he. Until he woke up yesterday and he was bleeding and in a lot of pain. He was rushed to the hospital up in the city, and today he was transferred to the hospital here. The doctors found left over shrapnel that had been sewn up with his arm. They guessed that the wound healed around it, but it's started causing some problems. He's not in good shape. They say they may have to amputate his whole arm."

Lance had started crying somewhere between the beginning and end of the man's explanation, but he wasn't sure when. Mr. Shirogane pulled him into another hug and he cried on the shorter man's shoulder.

"I'm sorry," Lance said once he'd found his voice. "It's probably weird to have your son's friend crying on you."

"It's not weird for my son's boyfriend to be concerned about him."

"What?"

Lance looked up in bewilderment. How did he know? Had Shiro told his dad about their relationship without telling him about it?

"Oh, please. Do not act like I am a fool. The day I first met you, when I came home early, I saw you two kissing from the kitchen window."

"I-We were going to tell you, it's just-"

"I know. That is why I didn't say anything. I wanted you both to come to me in your own time."

Lance was speechless. He didn't know how to respond. He was scared if he said the wrong thing he'd somehow mess everything up.

"Don't worry," Mr. Shirogane said, sensing Lance's fear. "I like you, Lance. I can tell you're good for my son."

"Thank you, sir." Lance wiped a tear from his face and smiled.

"Speaking of, he has asked about you non-stop. His phone died and no one else knew your number. I was just coming back to get his phone charger so we could tell you to come. Will you?"

"Of course. Yes. I want to see him too."

"Good. We can take my car."

 

Yes, Lance was worried. Yes, Lance was terrified that something bad was going to happen. But he knew where Shiro was, and he knew that no matter what, he would be okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm sorry
> 
> at least something cute happens?


	13. Love Me

The drive to the hospital was long, and Lance was impatient. Thankfully, Mr. Shirogane was able to keep up some sort of conversation to keep Lance's mind off of what was ahead.

When they got to the hospital, they both rushed up to the floor Shiro was on. Lance ran straight to the door but was stopped by a doctor coming out of the room.

"Whoah, sorry, kid. Only family members allowed in right now."

"But he _is_ family," Mr. Shirogane said as he came up behind Lance. "He's my other son."

Lance smiled at the old man calling him his son. It felt nice to be so welcomed into Shiro's family. The doctor, however, took a good long look at the obviously Cuban male. His eyebrow was raised, as if he was wondering how Lance, a very brown boy, could have come from a family with the last name Shirogane.

"I'm adopted," Lance blurted out.

"I see," the doctor conceded, a hint of suspicion still in his eye. "Well, in that case I have some things I need to tell both of you. Firstly, when we went in to retract the remaining shrapnel, we found necrosis around the infected area."

"Necrosis?" Lance asked.

"The cells around the wound are dying. We already made some minor adjustments to the amputation, like we spoke of, but it may be more severe than we thought. Thankfully, we caught it in time, however, depending on how far the necrosis spread, we still may need to amputate to the shoulder. Secondly, Takashi's body did not respond well to the medicine we gave him. While you were gone, Mr. Shirogane, he started seizing and we had to sedate him. He has been put in a medically induced coma while we run some more tests to make sure whether further amputation is necessary. He should awaken sometime within the next few days."

The three of them were silent as the doctor's words sank in.

 _Shiro...is in a coma?_ Lance thought to himself. He felt like the world around him was crashing down.

"Can we go in?" he heard Mr. Shirogane ask through the panic clouding his senses.

"Yes, but he won't know you're there."

 

Lance followed Mr. Shirogane as he opened the door and walked in. Shiro was laying there, unconscious, just like the doctor said. His prosthetic was laying over to the side, and his stump was wrapped in bandages.

"My boy..." Lance heard Shiro's dad say, voice broken.

Lance himself started crying again as he walked up and put a hand on Shiro's stomach.

"Hey, Takashi. It's me. It's Lance. I'm here."

He knew Shiro couldn't hear him, but he felt like he needed to let his boyfriend know that he was by his side. There was a small shuffling behind him, and when he turned he saw that Mr. Shirogane had moved a chair near him so he could sit next to the bed. He pulled the seat closer and sat down, leaning his head down onto the empty space on the bed next to Shiro as he broke down in sobs.

 

\--

 

Lance had moved to the other side of the bed to better allow the doctors and nurses to come in and out, but also so he could hold his comatose boyfriend's non-amputated hand. He hadn't been home since he first went to the hospital two days ago. He'd already missed two days of classes and his friends were trying to figure out where he was. He called his friends to explain what was going on, told them that no, he didn't need anything, and asked if they would talk to his teachers for him.

"You don't have to stay here, son," Mr. Shirogane told Lance one evening. "Go home, take a shower, sleep in your own bed, go to class. I'll call you if anything changes."

"No offense, sir, but I'd like to stay here if I could. I don't wanna leave him. I can't. Not yet."

"I understand. Then if you are staying, perhaps I will go home. Just for tonight. My old back can't very well take another night sleeping here. Will you stay and wait with him until morning?"

"Yes. I will. I'll call you if something happens."

Lance took Shiro's hand, smiling sadly as he stared at his sleeping face.

"Thank you, Lance." Mr. Shirogane started to walk out, but glanced back at the two boys before he did. "You're so good for him, you know? Sure, he can take care of himself, but I'm glad he has you to look after him too."

With that, they were left alone. Lance spent most of the evening trying to keep it together; holding Shiro's hand and keeping himself busy on his phone.

 

\--

 

It was around 2 am and Lance had just about hit his highest score on 2048 when Shiro's heart monitor started beeping rapidly and Shiro started seizing. He hit the button on Shiro's bed to call for help and two nurses and a doctor rushed in, tending to the boy. Lance was pushed aside and he left the room, knowing that he wouldn't be able to keep it together if he stayed in there while everything was happening.

 

After what felt like hours, the doctor walked out, the nurses following behind him. He spotted Lance on the floor, head on his knees, arms wrapped around himself, and told him what was going on.

"Everything is under control," Lance heard the doctor say. He looked up at him, his face a mess of tears and snot. He looked like he'd been crying for days, and he pretty much had.

"Your...brother should be fine, but he may take longer to wake up than we thought. We took him off of the pain medicine we were giving him, since his body seemed to be reacting badly to it. Because of the lack of medication, he may wake up in pain. Someone should to be in there when he wakes up to make sure he doesn't hurt himself further. It may take a while, so if you wanted to go home, I can assign a nurse to wait with him instead."

"I'll wait," Lance said. He wiped his face on his sleeve and stood up. "Thank you."

He took a deep breath and walked back into the room. Shiro was laying there, looking like he hadn't just been having a seizure. His heart monitor was beeping steadily and he seemed...almost peaceful, given the circumstances.

Lance didn't feel like sleeping. He sat back down in his chair by the bed and held Shiro's hand. All he wanted to do was talk to Shiro and have him tell him everything was going to be alright.

 

"Shiro...I know you can't hear me right now, but I need to talk to you. And not just because I'm a needy boyfriend, but because I need to know everything is going to be okay. I need you to tell me everything will be okay. Because right now," Lance's voice broke, "right now it doesn't seem like everything is going to be okay. I'm scared, Shiro. This is so selfish, but I'm scared you're going to leave me. I'm terrified what would happen if you left for good. I need you. A-and I'm scared for your dad. He needs you, too. But mostly, I'm scared for you. You've gone through so much. You don't deserve this. What if something happens and you never wake up again? What if you wake up and you're in pain and scared of the world you're in? What if they _do_ have to amputate further? What would that do to you? I mean, even if they did, I'd still love you-"

He gasped. He hadn't meant to say it. But he _did_ mean it. If he didn't have any self control, he would have said it after the first date. He'd almost said it when Shiro left for college, but he knew it wasn't time yet. Lance hadn't meant to say those words, not until he knew Shiro was ready, until he knew Shiro would say it back. But now, he was scared he would never even get the chance to say it at all.

"I mean...no. I-I do. ...I love you, Takashi. And I know you can't hear me but I need to say it. I love you. Even if they cut off the rest of your arm, I'll still love you. With or without, no matter what happens to you. I love you. I love you. I love you."

Tears were streaming down Lance's face as he finally admitted it aloud. He loved Shiro. And he wished Shiro could say it back. But he had to wait.

"I love you, Shiro. And I'll wait for you. I've said it before and I'll say it again. I will wait for you. It doesn't matter how long it takes, it doesn't matter what happens, I will stay by your side. And I'll wait. I love you."

 

Lance had worn himself out. He fell asleep with his head on Shiro's bed, their hands still entwined, whispering 'I love you.'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> no summary and no beginning notes??? oh shitttttt
> 
> anyway hope u enjoyed lol <3
> 
> u ever cry writing your own stuff?? yeah... me neither. definitely ;-;
> 
> there will be only a few more chapters left!! i'm actually really sad because i really have enjoyed writing this and getting all of your wonderful comments!!! <3 thank you all for reading and enjoying!!!


	14. Wake Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me: y'all  
> y'all: ugh, this country bitch
> 
> (i'm actually from the midwest, so just sayin)
> 
> ugagahggughh i have been considering whether or not to post this chapter now or later. but i'm impatient. and sure, maybe this will cost me some hits by not spreading it out further, but i love this story and if i have a chapter just sitting there, there's nothing to do with it and i DON'T LIKE THAT. so i'm posting it now, at near 6 am. as in, haven't slept yet 6 am, not woke up at 6 am. who do you think i am?? i say "y'all" for goodness sake and i'm not even country. like??? i don't make sense. anyway. maybe i'm just hyper because i'm tired but i WANNNAAAA post this for you guys <3
> 
> oh yeah, and i'm sorry. this chapter hurt me too.

Lance woke up to a very sore back. He'd slept hunched over the whole night. As he became more aware of his surroundings, he remembered where he was and what was going on. Shiro's father hadn't come back yet, so Lance figured it must have been early morning. He started to reach for his phone to check the time when he saw the expression on Shiro's face. It was far worse than what Lance would call a "pained expression." Shiro's eyes were moving rapidly behind his closed lids and he was groaning softly.

"Shiro?"

"Uhhnn, nnnn-mmmm."

"Shiro, can you hear me? Are you okay?"

"Mmmm aaAAHHH! GAAHHH!"

Shiro was screaming. Lance didn't know what to do. The doctor had said he would wake up in pain, but Lance wasn't prepared to help with that pain. Shiro's back arched and his hand grasped the sheets. His screams broke Lance's heart and he wished he could take the pain away.

It didn't look like Shiro was fully awake, more like he was just thrashing in his sleep. Lance was told to make sure Shiro wouldn't hurt himself, so Lance did the only thing he could think of. He put one hand on the boy's left arm and the other on his right shoulder, trying to stop him from thrashing as much.

"Shhh, Shiro. It's okay. You're okay. I'm right here."

All he got in return were more grunts and screams. Shiro was putting up a struggle and Lance was glad he'd started working out or else he wouldn't be able to hold his boyfriend down.

"I know it hurts, baby, but you're gonna be fine. I promise."

Shiro seemed to calm his body down a bit, but he was still yelling in pain. Lance moved his hand from Shiro's shoulder and put it on his cheek.

"Takashi...I've got you."

Shiro's yells turned into small groans and his body relaxed into Lance's touch. His breathing was heavy and he was still groaning weakly, but something Lance did helped him calm down. His eyes squinted in pain and a small tear rolled down the side of his face.

"It's okay, baby," Lance said, wiping the tear and pushing Shiro's hair from his sweating face. "I've got you. You're okay. I love you."

Lance repeated the mantra of soft affirmations as Shiro drifted back to sleep.

 

\--

 

A few hours later, Mr. Shirogane walked into the room.

"Fully rested, sir?" Lance asked.

"Definitely. Any changes?"

"Well, actually yes. He had another seizure around 2 am last night, but the doctor took care of him. They took him off of pain medication, which means when he wakes up, he'll be hurting. They said to make sure someone is in here when he wakes up to make sure he doesn't hurt himself more. He was at least somewhat conscious earlier. It...was kind of terrifying if I'm being honest. He was just screaming and I had to hold him down so he wouldn't fall out of bed. But then he fell right back to sleep a few minutes later. I would have called you, but it was over as soon as it started, and I didn't want to disturb you."

"Thank you, Lance. That was very kind of you. Like I said yesterday, I am glad he has you to look after him."

"I'm glad I could be here for him."

Lance looked back at the boy in the hospital bed. His face was much more peaceful than it had been just hours before.

 

The two conscious men waited all day to see if anything changed, but nothing did. Shiro stayed asleep the whole day, only groaning softly a few times before quieting again. It was mostly silent in the room, neither of the two men daring to look away in case Shiro woke up again.

Sometime during the evening, the two started fidgeting. Lance checked his phone and Shiro's father started pacing. Eventually, the silence became too much for both of them.

"Where did you two meet?" Mr. Shirogane asked suddenly.

"Uh, it's actually a pretty funny story. I was at the mall outside of a little cafe one day and all of a sudden your son sat down across from me at my table and pretended to be my boyfriend. Apparently, these two girls had been pestering him for a while, and he figured the only way to get them to stop would be to pretend he was already in a relationship."

Mr. Shirogane laughed for the first time in the past few days.

"That sounds just like my son. He would rather put himself in an awkward situation than cause a scene."

"Yeah. That sounds like Shiro," Lance smiled softly.

There was another long silence after that. They both looked back at Shiro, making sure he hadn't gotten up and left while they were talking. He hadn't.

"I really am sorry we didn't tell you about our relationship sooner," Lance said after a while. "We talked about telling you, but I had already had a bad experience with coming out to my parents, I guess he didn't want to risk the same by coming out to you."

"It's alright. I've known my son was gay since he was five years old. He came home from Kindergarten and told me he wanted to marry a boy in his class. At the time I thought nothing of it, but as he grew up, I noticed he'd never brought a girl home. Never brought a boy home either, but some things, as a parent, you just know."

"Why didn't you talk to him about it? Uh, sir," Lance added on, trying not to sound accusatory.

"It wasn't my decision to make. It was something he needed to come to me about on his own. I tried to show my support for others like him, so that maybe he would not be scared to come to me about it. I think I may have gone about it incorrectly, but coming from an Asian background, these things aren't really talked about much."

"I understand. I'm glad you are so accepting." Lance smiled sadly at the ground.

"I am guessing your father is not so much?"

"Ah, no, he is not. Don't get me wrong, he's a great dad. He's just...taking a long time to get used to the fact that I'm still his son even though I like boys, too."

"Well, until then, I will be your dad for now, huh?"

"Thank you, sir. That means a lot."

"It's the least I can do. Especially if one day soon you are going to become my son anyway when you marry Shiro."

"Wha-Hah! I uh, yeah, I... Hahaha!"

"I'm just messing with you, Lance," Mr. Shirogane said. Lance let out the breath he was holding. "You don't have to get married any time soon. Take your time."

Lance just laughed awkwardly as a blush spread across his face and chest. The only thing that kept him from jumping out the window in embarrassment was that there was no need for him _and_ Shiro to be in the hospital at the same time.

\--

Lance's cheeks had finally gone back to normal as nighttime settled in around the city. Mr. Shirogane had fallen asleep on the little couch in the room while Lance sat on the edge of the bed, playing with Shiro's hair.

After a while, Shiro started making noises again. They were soft moans rather than the harsh, painful sounds he'd made throughout the day.

"Shh, it's alright. I'm here," Lance soothed, brushing a few fingers down his boyfriend's face.

"Mmm...La-Lance...?" Shiro's voice was so quiet, Lance almost missed it.

"Shiro? Are you awake, sweetie?"

Lance stood from the bed and leaned over Shiro, his hand continuously grazing over the stubbly skin of Shiro's cheek.

Shiro's eyes squeezed together and then slowly opened, blinking in the harsh light of the hospital room.

"Lance? Where are we?"

Lance's eyes were watering as he responded, happy to finally speak to his boyfriend again. "We're in the hospital, baby. Something happened to your arm, remember?"

Shiro's eyebrows furrowed together like he was trying to remember. His body spasmed as it came back to him. He hissed in a breath as the pain shot through him. He tried to reach for his stump in order to hold it, but Lance pushed his arm back down and held it to the bed.

"Huh-? AAGH!"

Shiro's agonized face looked at Lance like he'd just betrayed him in the worst way possible. It hurt Lance, but he knew he was doing the right thing.

"I'm so sorry, sweetie. I have to make sure you don't hurt yourself further. You can't touch it right now, okay?"

"Lance-! It...aagh, it hurts. I...FUCK!"

"Shh, I know it hurts. I know, baby. You're gonna be okay. I've got you."

Lance cupped Shiro's face with his free hand and touched their foreheads together.

"Shh, it's okay, Takashi."

"Lance..."

Shiro was crying. Lance could only imagine what kind of pain he was going through. It made him want to cry too, but he knew he needed to have a brave face on. The last thing Shiro needed was another reason to panic. Panicking would only make the pain worse.

Lance got up on the bed and straddled Shiro. He tried to move his other hand up to cup Shiro's face fully to calm him down, but the arm came up as soon as Lance let go. Lance started to pin it back down, when another force did it for him. He looked to the side and saw Shiro's father holding the arm down. He nodded at Lance to keep doing what he was doing, so Lance did.

He felt awkward at first, straddling Shiro in front of his father, but this was an emergency situation and there was no time to feel awkward about anything. He put their foreheads together again, the slight upward recline of the bed helping Lance to keep his balance. He started shushing the boy underneath him to calm his panic.

Finally, after the three of them had struggled for a few minutes, Shiro started to calm himself. His breathing was heavy like the first time, but he was more in control this time. More awake. He still hissed and groaned, but Lance's body on top of him added comfort in such a distressing situation.

"Good. That's good, Shiro," Lance said as the boy's breathing evened out. He kissed him softly on the forehead, rewarding him for calming down.

"Lance...what's going on? Where's my dad?"

"He's right here. He's got you too. We've both got you. You're going to be okay."

"My arm feels li-like it's been blown off again."

That statement sent chills down Lance's spine. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before answering.

"I'm so sorry. They had to take you off of the pain medicine because it was making you have seizures."

"Ssseizures?" Shiro hissed out, another wave of pain obviously flowing through him at the question. "That mmmmust have been scary."

"It was. I was scared we were gonna lose you a few times."

"Me? N-never."

Lance smiled. Leave it to Shiro to try to stay light hearted even in agonizing pain.

"Let me go get you some water, son," Mr. Shirogane said once he knew it was okay to let go of his boy's arm.

"Thank you, dad."

Shiro leaned his head up to look at his father as he left, and then plopped it right back down, too weak to try to move on his own. He looked straight up into Lance's eyes and smiled weakly. Lance smiled back, holding back tears from both being mentally drained from what had just happened, and from the happiness he felt being able to talk to his boyfriend again.

"Hi, baby," Lance said, moving his hands back up to cup Shiro's face again. "Am I hurting you? Do you want me to get down?"

"No, no. Stay. Please. It's comforting..." the boy grunted, "to have you so close."

"Okay." Lance kissed his cheek quickly, enjoying being able to do that again (with him conscious, anyway).

"Did I dream it, or did I hear you tell me you love me?" Shiro asked, voice hoarse from screaming and not speaking for three days.

Lance's cheeks flushed bright red at his boyfriend's query.

"Which time?" he answered sheepishly.

"So it's true?"

"Yeah. Of course it is. I was trying to wait, until you were conscious, at least, but it kind of just...slipped out. And then I couldn't stop saying it."

"Will you say it again?"

"...I love you, Takashi."

"I love you too, Lance."

Lance's face brightened. He felt like he was floating. He'd already known Shiro loved him too, but to hear him say it? With no hesitation? It was all Lance needed for the rest of his life. He started laughing, even though tears had finally started falling from his face, and he rested his forehead on his boyfriend's again. This time in relief instead of panic.

"So, are you gonna kiss me or what?" Shiro asked, a flirty edge to his rough voice. "I can't really move or I'd do it myself."

Lance pressed their lips together, trying to be gentle even though his excitement was rushing through him violently.

At that moment, the door opened and the doctor walked in, catching them in that position.

"Brothers?"

"We're close," the two said in unison.

The boys laughed and Lance climbed off of Shiro, the latter whining at the loss of contact. Lance grabbed his hand as he sat down, not wanting to lose complete contact either.

Mr. Shirogane walked in after the doctor and brought his _real_ son a glass of water, helping him sip it.

"So," the doctor said, saying nothing about Lance and Mr. Shirogane deceiving him about the two boys being brothers. "Let me tell you the bad news first."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> bad news: i have to cut ur dick off :/  
> Lance: not like we were using it anyway
> 
> jkjkjk
> 
> but omg could u imagine
> 
>  
> 
> catch me with that Rent reference. oh yes. (are you guys figuring out what kind of person i am?? what is this, the third musical reference in this fic? netflix and chill the fuck out, nat)
> 
>  
> 
> oh, also, i changed my icon. i don't know if that changes it on everything i've commented on or not, but hey, it's me, just with Shiro instead of Deadpool now.


	15. Stay With Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> me, shoving my romantic frustrations into this fic: HERE, TAKE IT
> 
> this took.....way too long. but hey!! long chapter!! and it's FILLED with fluff!!! and it's sooo cliche and cheesy you'll need to punch a wall afterwards. enjoy! <3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i suppose i should add this. i was telling my roommate about this fic and what was gonna happen with Shiro and she literally was like "HOW IS HE GOING TO MASTERBATE WITHOUT HIS RIGHT ARM?" so...in case you needed something else to worry about as well lol
> 
> also! i just wanted to say, that if this fic has inspired you to write or draw or paint or sing or whatever artsy thing it may have inspired you to do, PLEASE send it to me or tag me on tumblr at strawberrylovely because i WANNA see it!!! i'm not scary, and i'm not that important so like, you don't have to be like 'but what if she's not impressed' or 'i'm not good enough for her attention' WRONG literally I am not good enough for YOUR attention, so PLEASE share things with me. even if they're just headcanons!! whatever!!!! just TALK TO ME please i love u guys <3 again, my tumblr is strawberrylovely if you wanna chat!!

"The bad news is, we're going to have to operate one more time. Make sure everything looks good and won't cause you anymore problems. We'll put you under, but your body seems to be rejecting the pain medications. So you'll be in pain again once you wake up. I can see that your...I'm guessing he's not really your brother."

"No, I'm his boyfriend. Sorry about the whole...deceiving you...thing."

"I suppose I'll let it slide for now. You _were_ able to calm him once he woke up today. So, I guess it wouldn't hurt if you helped him come out of the next one, either."

"Thank you so much." Lance wanted to hug the doctor, but he refrained himself.

"Good news?" Mr. Shirogane asked.

"Oh! Yes, good news is that we won't have to amputate at the shoulder. We caught the necrosis in time that it hadn't spread up your arm yet."

"Necrosis?" Shiro asked.

"Dying of cells," Lance said, matter-of-factly, as if the doctor hadn't told him that days before.

"Oh. Shit."

"...Yes. Anyway, we caught it, so you'll get to keep the rest of your arm."

Shiro smiled at his father and boyfriend. He hadn't wanted his father to spend more money buying him a new arm, and he hadn't wanted to risk not be able to have as much control like he did on his current prosthetic.

"Oh, and one more thing," the doctor said before he left the room." You won't be able to wear your prosthesis for a month post-op while the scars heal."

"Oh, uh. Alright. Thanks," Shiro said. The doctor nodded and left the room.

 

"Not to be ungrateful, but I have to go armless for a month? That _sucks_."

"I dunno, it's kinda hot," Lance said, staring off into space. "Uh, I mean, yeah. That sucks. Darn."

"Lance...do we have something we need to talk about?"

"Not while your dad is here."

The three of them laughed, all happy that everything would be okay.

 

\--

 

"Are you nervous?"

"Yeah, are you?"

"Nah. I know you can handle anything," Shiro said as the nurses got him ready for his operation.

Lance rolled his eyes. Shiro was avoiding what Lance already knew the answer to. Shiro was nervous about the operation, but he was trying to hide it. Lance let him.

"I dunno, after that second time of trying to calm you down, I just about wore out."

"I'll try to go easy on you this time," Shiro joked, sitting down in the wheelchair provided for him.

Lance kissed his boyfriend on the cheek, letting the nurses wheel him away.

"That's all I get?" Shiro said before he was wheeled out of the room.

"I'll give you a real one when you come back safe."

"I'll be waiting."

 

\--

 

When Shiro came back to the room, Lance and Mr. Shirogane prepared themselves for a fight worse than the last one. This time, Shiro would be right out of surgery, and it would hurt ten times as much.

 

\--

 

After everything was over, Mr. Shirogane went home to sleep in his own bed, knowing his son was safe in the care of his boyfriend.

Shiro was supposed to stay awake for a few hours after the anesthetic wore off, to prevent another coma. Lance volunteered to stay up with him.

"How are you feeling?" Lance asked for about the millionth time in a row. He was sitting facing Shiro, one leg hanging off the side of the bed.

"I'm fine, Kitten. I told you. My arm hurts, but you make it better just by being here." His voice was rough still, but otherwise he seemed stable.

"I know. I just...need to make sure. I care about you a little, you know?"

"Only a little?"

"Maybe a bit more than that," Lance smiled.

He leaned in and kissed his boyfriend, careful not to push on him too much. Shiro still hissed in pain at the slight movement.

"Ah! I'm sorry."

"It's okay, babe. I'm willing to endure a little pain for those sweet kisses."

"Ugh, glad to know being in a coma and two surgeries hasn't changed how sappy you are."

"Of course not."

Shiro puckered his lips, silently asking to be kissed again. Lance obliged.

"You know, we missed Homecoming," Lance said, reminding Shiro that the dance was supposed to have been that night.

"Pssh, it's just a little dance. Being with you like this, even if I'm stuck to a hospital bed, is just as good as going to a dance. As long as it's you I'm with."

"That's sweet," Lance smiled. He caressed his boyfriend's face softly. "But if there was a way we could have our own little Homecoming right here, would you object?"

"What are you talking about?"

Lance sent a quick message on his phone, the device making a small _whoosh_ sound. Not ten seconds later, Hunk, Keith, Pidge, and Allura all walked in. Hunk was carrying the boutonnières Lance had bought, while Allura had their ties. Keith and Pidge were holding balloons, and let them go, the balloons floating up to the ceiling. Lance pressed play on his phone, and slow music started to play.

"Tada..." Lance said in a small voice, standing up and sticking his arm out for extra grandeur.

"What is all this?" Shiro asked, confused but with a small smile.

"Well, Lance said that your Homecoming was tonight, but since you were in the hospital, you weren't able to go. So, we brought it here," Hunk said.

He walked over to the bed and handed Lance his box, while he opened the other and pinned the flower to Shiro's hospital gown. Allura then walked over and put the black tie around Shiro's neck, Lance taking the blue one from her once he'd pinned his own flower on.

"Allura? You're here too?"

"Yes. Katie told me that her friend Lance's boyfriend was in the hospital and that he'd asked them to do this. I thought it was far too coincidental that my friend who had a boyfriend named Lance was in the hospital, so I decided to help."

"Y-you did all of this?" Shiro said, looking to Lance.

"Yeah. I wanted to surprise you after your surgery. And I mean, I'd already bought these," he said, flicking the flower pinned to his shirt, "and there was no way I was gonna let them go to waste."

Shiro just laughed and let his head relax onto his pillow.

"I love you."

"I know," Lance said with a big smile. They stared at each other a moment before Lance waved off the others.

“Okay, you guys can leave now. Thanks.”

"What?" Keith responded. "We drove all the way down here at almost midnight just to give you this stuff and we're not even invited to stay?"

"...Yeah, pretty much."

"Oh, come on, babe. Let them stay. At least for a little bit," Shiro said to his stubborn boyfriend.

Lance looked at Shiro, offended by the mere thought of them staying for even one second longer. Shiro raised an eyebrow as if to challenge, and Lance finally gave in.

"Fine." He rolled his eyes. "You guys can stay for like, three songs. But after that, you're out. I want some time alone, too."

The rest of the group laughed and gathered around the bed, greeting them both and asking Shiro how he was. Allura hugged him as best as she could without hurting him and apologized for not coming sooner, wondering how Lance was able to be there when she was told only family was allowed in. Once they told their story and everyone had caught up with each other, Lance turned on an upbeat song and they, minus Lance and Shiro (and Keith, until Hunk pulled him along), all started dancing.

“I can’t believe you did this for me,” Shiro said, softly laughing at the two boys dancing together awkwardly. “Thank you.”

“Anything for you, my love.” Lance was standing next to the bed, and he leaned over and pressed his lips to Shiro's forehead.

The look Lance gave him was so warm and full of love. Shiro silently thanked those two girls that had harassed him that day at the mall. Without them, he never would have met the man next to him. The wonderful man that had changed his life for the better.

"So my dad knows?" he asked suddenly. "That we're together?"

"Yeah. Apparently he saw us kissing through the kitchen window that first day I stayed over."

"Damn that window. And here I thought we'd gotten away with it."

"Yeah...not so much. He also said he knew you were gay since you were in Kindergarten and came home saying you wanted to marry a boy."

"He's known this whole time and never said anything?"

"He said it was up to you to come to him about it."

"I know he did it out of love, but if he had just come talked to me first, it would have saved a lot of anxiety over the years."

Lance laughed loudly at his remark, knowing that feeling all too well. He sat down on the bed again and the two of them sat there silently for a few minutes, watching their friends dancing and talking with each other in the small room.

 

"Why don't you join them?" Shiro asked Lance. "You don't have to be stuck here sitting with me."

"No thanks. I enjoy being stuck here sitting with you." Lance teased. "Besides, it looks like we're all paired up." He gestured towards the four others in the room, Allura and Pidge dancing together, and Hunk trying to make a blushing Keith do something other than just stand there. "I had no idea Allura and Pidge already knew each other."

"Neither did I. I knew Allura liked a girl named Katie, but I figured it was just a coincidence."

"Someone actually _likes_ Pidge? That's surprising," Lance joked. "Now, if only I could get _those two_ to admit their feelings for each other."

"Hunk and Keith?"

"YES. I can't tell you how torturous it's been living with them the past two years. You'd think it's always Christmas how much they pine for each other."

"That was a terrible pun."

"It was great and you know it."

Lance changed the music to a slow song, knowing that Hunk would try to make Keith slow dance with him. As the scene played out, he watched Keith glare at him, his face a deep red. He winked in return.

"So," Lance said, changing the subject, "Tell me more about this guy from Kindergarten. Do you still have feelings for him?" he said, feigning heartbreak.

"Yes, Lance. I'm leaving you to go elope with some kid I met when I was 5 that I don't even remember." Shiro rolled his eyes with a smile and Lance fake sobbed.

"I knew it."

Shiro laughed softly and tugged on Lance's shirt to tell him to come closer and Lance scooted right up into his hold.

As the third song came to an end, Lance faced their friends.

"Alright, that was your last song. Everyone out!"

"Lance..." Shiro started, trying to make his boyfriend behave.

"It's okay, Shiro," Allura said. "We'll leave you two lovebirds alone."

"Thaaank you!"

 

\--

 

Once Lance had shoved everyone out the door, he went back to the bed and curled up into Shiro's left side.

"There's one more song left before Homecoming ends."

"Okay then. Let's hear it."

Lance raised his phone so he could see the screen and pressed play. Soft piano music came through the phone and quickly, Elvis's smooth voice followed.

_Wise men say..._

"Really? _This_ song?" Shiro asked, a smirk creeping up his face.

"Oh, come on. I was trying to be sweet."

"You are." He kissed his boyfriend's forehead. "Thank you, Lance."

"You're welcome."

"Not just for the music and for having everyone coming down. But also for helping me and staying with me the past few days. I know it was probably really scary and you're probably worn out and ready to go home. But I know my father wouldn't have been able to do this alone. You really helped him too. He already loves you and he's told me over and over how special he thinks you are. You are _so_ special. And you're so amazing. You really are an amazing person, Lance. You've made my life so much brighter and happier. I'm so glad I got the chance to fall in love with you."

Lance buried his head in Shiro's shoulder and covered his face with his hand.

"All this time and you can still make me blush like the first day we met. I'm in _so_ deep."

Shiro's soft chuckle vibrated through Lance's body.

"Hey, look at me."

"I can't," Lance said, too embarrassed to move.

"Please? I want to look into your beautiful blue eyes."

"You're _not_ helping."

"Please, my love?"

Lance made an embarrassed noise, but slowly lifted his head to look into Shiro's eyes. His face was beet red and he was trying not to smile.

"I swear, if you start singing this song to me right now, I'm gonna jump out that window," Lance said, only half joking.

"Aww, how did you know?"

"Because I know you. And I love you."

"I love you, too."

"And I love hearing you say that."

"What? That I love you?"

Lance blushed again.

"Yes."

"Then I'll say it again."

Shiro tightened his grip on the boy in his arms, bringing his face closer so he could whisper the words that were just meant for Lance.

"I love you."

"And _I can't help falling in love with you_ ," Lance sang along.

"Oh, so you can do it but I can't?" Shiro asked, his cheeks tinted pink.

"Yeah. I've already been embarrassed, so now it's your turn."

"I'm not embarrassed about loving you."

"Oh, come on!" Lance brought his hand up to cover his face again.

Shiro pushed on Lance to make the boy look at him.

" _Take my hand_..." Shiro sang along.

"Just the one, right?"

Shiro lifted the hand holding his boyfriend and lightly smacked him on the back for trying to ruin the moment. He stuck his tongue out quickly and then continued.

" _Take my whole life too_..."

Lance finally looked him in the eye and nodded his head, promising to do just what the song asked.

" _For I can't help falling in love with_ -"

Lance cupped Shiro's face and kissed him, cutting off the last word as Elvis continued singing around them. The music faded out as Lance pulled away.

"You," Lance finished for him.

 

They stayed positioned like that for a while, happily in each other's arms as they both slowly drifted to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> stealing things from the destiel fandom one song at a time ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) 
> 
> (if you don't get the reference read the destiel fic Twist and Shout ;-;)
> 
> (seriously tho i didn't mean to copy that fic or anything, i just love this song and like, they don't own it or anything so??)
> 
> i know i knoooowwww the "we brought the dance to you" thing is so CLICHE but come onnnnnnnn i had to.
> 
> there will be (probably) one last chapter to wrap things up, and then we're done guys!!!! i'm overwhelmed at the attention this has gotten. <3 you guys are so amazing.


	16. Marry Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 3 years later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> last chapter!!!! thank you all for your sweet comments and ideas and just everything! you have made this fic so wonderful and special to me! <3 i hope you enjoy the last chapter!
> 
> also, in case you missed it, my dear triggeringangel on tumblr drew fanart of chapter 6! http://triggeringangel.tumblr.com/post/162606088602/text-me-is-one-of-the-best-if-not-the-best  
> please check them out, their art is so lovely! and remember, if you've been inspired to make something because of this fic, please tag me/send it to me on tumblr at strawberrylovely and i'll post it here as well!!! <3

**Lance:**

i miss you

**Fiancé (Black Heart ):**

We're about to see each other again in about half an hour.

**Lance:**

i know but i wanna see you now :(

**Fiancé (Black Heart ):**

You're the one that made the rule that we couldn't see each other yet. You said it was bad luck.

**Lance:**

ughhgghgahhhh you don't actually believe in that do you?

**Fiancé (Black Heart ):**

No, but you do.

**Lance:**

:(

curse my superstitious ass

well i miss you

what are you doing?

**Fiancé (Black Heart ):**

I'm getting ready. What are you doing?

**Lance:**

i was getting ready but it's not as fun to get ready without you here helping me

**Fiancé (Black Heart ):**

You're a big boy, you can clothe yourself.

**Lance:**

no i can't.

help me tie my tie?

**Fiancé (Black Heart ):**

Lance...

**Lance:**

ugh okay fine. then at least keep talking to me until it's time?

**Fiancé (Black Heart ):**

You sure are needy today. ;)

Of course I'll keep talking to you. What do you want to talk about?

**Lance:**

hmm...

i don't know.

oh! i finally get to change your name in my phone today :)

**Fiancé (Black Heart ):**

Oh? Now what will it be?

**Lance:**

what do you think? :P

**Fiancé (Black Heart ):**

I'm guessing Husband (Black Heart )?

**Lance:**

yes! (Blue Heart )

are you ever going to change mine from Lance (Blue Heart )?

**Fiancé (Black Heart ):**

Nope. I already told you. That night when you put your number in my phone at the bar, I told myself that I would always keep it that way. It's special to me.

**Lance:**

well you're special to me

(Blue Heart )

**Fiancé (Black Heart ):**

(Black Heart )

**Lance:**

maybe (Blue Heart )(Black Heart ) will be our always

**Fiancé (Black Heart ):**

Okay, no more sad teenage romance movies for you.

**Lance:**

you love it

**Fiancé (Black Heart ):**

I love you.

**Lance:**

i love you too

are you sure we can't see each other? just for a second?

**Fiancé (Black Heart ):**

Are you willing to risk your superstition?

**Lance:**

always

**Fiancé (Black Heart ):**

Good. Because I'm standing outside your door.

 

Lance got up from his seat in his dressing room and ran to the door to swing it open. Shiro, dressed in a dark grey tux with a black tie stood leaning against the doorframe.

"Hey there, good lookin'. Come here often?" a half dressed Lance said to his soon-to-be husband.

"Lance, why aren't you dressed yet? The wedding starts in 20 minutes."

"I told you, I need help."

"Alright, Kitten," Shiro said and breathed out a laugh.

He walked into the dressing room, finding Lance's black suit jacket and helping him put it on. They were facing the mirror and as Shiro was smoothing down Lance's lapel, the younger man stopped his hand, holding it in his own. They both looked at each other in the mirror, hair fixed and dressed up in their suits. Lance leaned his head on Shiro's shoulder and smiled. They stayed there a while, enjoying the intimate moment.

"You look incredibly handsome in your suit," Lance said.

"So do you," Shiro responded before his voice dropped low. "But you'd look even better out of it."

" _Ay mio_ ," Lance said, his face already turning a shade of red. "Maybe it _was_ a bad idea to see you before."

"Alright, alright. I'll hold off till after the ceremony to rile you up," Shiro jested, pulling away. "Can't wait for tonight."

He winked and started to walk towards the door, but before he did he smacked Lance's butt, making the younger man jump.

"Hey!" Lance demanded, his voice stern. Shiro turned back to him, a fake frown on his face. "Come here," he said, his voice changing to sweet.

Shiro walked over to him and wrapped his arms around Lance's waist. Lance in turn wrapped his arms around Shiro's neck, bringing his face up to be equal. He then kissed his fiancé, slow and sweet.

"You still haven't helped me with my tie," Lance said once they'd pulled apart.

Shiro saw the tie - a skinny royal blue to contrast Lance's black suit - sitting on the vanity a few feet away. He reached over and grabbed it, placing it around Lance's neck and tying it. Right as he finished, there was a knock on the door telling them it was time. The two boys smiled at each other, ready for what was to come.

"We better not keep them waiting," Shiro said.

"Of course."

They shared their last kiss as an unmarried couple and walked to the door.

"I love you, Takashi."

"I love you, Lance."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you guys for reading! you're the best!! <3 love you!!!

**Author's Note:**

> If you liked this fic, please leave a comment, and/or consider buying me a [coffee!](http://ko-fi.com/natdashg)


End file.
